Premium Access Only: How Healthcare Became a Subscription Service

Let me tell you something about streaming services. You think having “choices” means you’re in control, right? Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max — pick your platform, pick your plan, watch what you want.

But then your favorite show disappears overnight. That series you were halfway through? Deleted from existence. The content you thought you had “access” to? Turns out you were just renting the illusion of choice, all while paying cable prices — actually, more than cable prices — for five different subscriptions. At least with cable, you knew all your shows were in one place. Now you’re paying multiple companies for the right to maybe watch your shows… until they decide to move them somewhere else or delete them entirely.

Some folks got every premium subscription — no ads, highest quality, watch on all devices, download for offline. Others are stuck sharing passwords, dealing with buffering, and getting hit with more ads than your Facebook feed during holiday season.

And here’s why that matters…

When Healthcare Goes Premium

Sound familiar? Because this is exactly how our health system operates. Just like streaming platforms, we’ve got:

• Different tiers of access based on what you can pay
• “Choice” that’s really just picking between pre-selected options
• Content that can disappear without warning (employers changing the plan)
• Services that keep getting more expensive while offering less
• Corporations deciding what you get access to, when, and how

And just when you thought this couldn’t get more dystopian, have you heard of Northwell Health Studios?

New York’s largest health system announced the opening of its own film studio to create “promotional content.” You read that right – a healthcare system is now in the entertainment business. Not satisfied with just controlling your health options, seems they want to control the narrative too.

Here’s what hits different: Imagine being a patient with a rare condition, knowing the same system that’s supposed to care for you is eyeing your struggle as their next potential content drop. What happens when you don’t want your health journey turned into their next Netflix series? How freely can you say “no” to being filmed when the same people control your access to care?

We’ve seen how the medical system treats bodies as resources to be exploited – just look at Henrietta Lacks. They straight up stole her cells without consent, turned them into a mass-production research goldmine, and created treatments and vaccines that generated billions in profit. Her family just got a settlement in 2024. Now, healthcare systems are building whole studios, and communities can’t even get basic care.

Politicians are watching healthcare costs soar while pocketing donations from the same systems causing the problem. These political decisions ripple through communities like a bad streaming connection – except instead of buffering, you’re dealing with:

• Entire counties without a single OB-GYN because it “wasn’t profitable” to keep maternity wards open. That’s not about medical need – that’s about politicians letting healthcare systems cherry-pick their markets like streaming platforms cherry-pick their content.
• Communities where the only remaining hospitals were just bought by a religious healthcare system. Suddenly, certain reproductive services “violate their values”. They’re even blocking evidence-based practices like tai chi because they wrongly assume it’s “religious”(what’s going on in my neck of the woods) – as if healthcare should come with content restrictions like a PG-13 rating. Culture and bias literally determine what care you can access.
• Rural clinics getting shut down because they couldn’t generate enough “subscriber revenue” to satisfy their new corporate owners. The same way streaming platforms cancel shows with loyal but smaller audiences, healthcare systems are deciding some communities just don’t have enough “market potential.”

And just like how streaming services keep jacking up prices while adding restrictions – looking at you, Netflix, going from “love is sharing a password” to “that’ll be an extra $7.99 for your cousin to watch” – healthcare systems keep charging more while offering less. And you do remember the share your password philosophy Netflix lived by? Now they’re cracking down on the same feature they used to promote, doing that whole “part of your household” thing. And you know what’s coming – other platforms are watching those profits roll in and getting ready to follow suit. Once one company finds a new way to squeeze more money out of you, it’s only a matter of time before they all do it. Just like how healthcare systems used to talk about ‘patient choice’ before they merged into monopolies that leave you no choice at all.

They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. Both industries are basically saying “We got you hooked on the service, now watch us squeeze you for everything we can.”

The Global Channel Guide

Other countries figured this out ages ago. They’re running their healthcare like a public streaming service – one platform, accessible to everyone, no confusing tiers or hidden fees. Meanwhile, we’re over here with a system that’s got more turns than a Hot Wheels track – and every loop costs extra.

Taiwan has a system where you can walk into a doctor’s office the same day, like pulling up any show you want, without checking five different streaming services first. The UK, Japan, Germany? They’re all running healthcare systems that cost less and work better than ours – and these aren’t some socialist utopias; they’re free market economies just like us.

The difference? They built systems. We built a market.

And yeah, their doctors might not make as much as U.S. doctors, but their medical school doesn’t cost the same as a small island, either. Their taxes actually go toward public services instead of… whatever we’re doing with ours. It’s like they’re paying a reasonable subscription fee that covers everything while we’re over here getting charged separately for the platform, the content, the HD upgrade, the multiple screens, ability to watch offline, AND still seeing ads.

When people say “America’s too big” or “too complicated” for universal healthcare, this is a good reminder that we’re one of the richest nations in the world.

Remember when getting packages on Sunday was “impossible”? Then Amazon decided there was money in it, and suddenly, the impossible became inevitable. Funny how that works – when there’s profit involved, systems find a way to change. The infrastructure, the workforce, the whole damn culture around commercialism and convenience shifted because somebody saw dollar signs.

Behind the Scenes: The Power Players

Want to see how this plays out in real-time? Look at Disney+ absorbing Hulu and bundling with ESPN+. One company is slowly consuming everything until they control what you can watch, how you can watch it, and how much you’ll pay. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what’s happening with healthcare systems buying up local hospitals, private practices, and specialty clinics.

These mergers ain’t about “better service” or “increased options” – they’re about control. Every time Disney acquires another studio, they’re not thinking about what’s best for viewers. They’re thinking about market share and profit margins. The same thing happens when big healthcare systems swallow up local clinics. They’ll tell you it’s about “integrated care” and “efficiency,” but watch how quickly prices go up and options go down once they’re the only game in town.

The exploitation just got a rebrand. Instead of stealing cells, they’re harvesting stories. They’re out here talking about “leveraging the power of storytelling” through their entertainment divisions while people can’t afford insulin. They’ll film dramatic surgeries and heartwarming recoveries, but you won’t see episodes about:

• The patient rationing insulin because their “network” doesn’t cover the full prescription
• The rural community driving two hours for basic care after their local hospital got swallowed up
• The family drowning in medical debt even though they “did everything right”
• The clinic that closed because it wasn’t “profitable” enough for the healthcare system

These healthcare systems want to be both the main character AND the director. They want to control your care AND control how people think about healthcare. It’s like if Amazon owned Netflix and made documentaries about how great their warehouse working conditions are.

Changing the Channel: Making Strategic Moves

But here’s the thing about transforming systems — it takes more than just good ideas. It takes political will. It takes sustained pressure from people who refuse to accept less. The same way streaming platforms only changed their practices when enough subscribers complained (looking at you, Netflix password sharing), healthcare systems only change when there’s enough pressure from the public AND policymakers.

We need:

• Politicians who answer to communities, not corporations
• Policies that treat healthcare as a right, not a revenue stream
• Laws that break up these healthcare monopolies
• Communities having real power in healthcare decisions
• Advocacy that goes beyond just “raising awareness”

While streaming services are out here fighting over who gets to show The Office, healthcare systems are deciding which communities get to have emergency rooms. While platforms argue about password sharing, people are sharing insulin because they can’t afford their own. And while executives debate new pricing tiers, families are debating whether they can afford to take their kid to the doctor.

Time to Change the Program

The tools for change are right there:

• Community organizing that builds real power
• Policy advocacy that demands better
• Data that exposes what’s really happening
• Stories that make decision makers uncomfortable
• Solutions that have already worked elsewhere (though, remember that each community is unique and interventions one place may not neatly be adapted)

Next time you’re frustrated about having to subscribe to yet another streaming service just to watch one show, remember: That’s annoying, but it’s just entertainment. Now imagine if that same system controlled whether you could see a doctor or afford medication.

Want to help change the channel on healthcare? Here’s where to start:

• Get informed about health policy decisions in your area (your local hospital shouldn’t be harder to track than your Netflix watchlist)
• Connect with health advocacy organizations in your community
• Share stories about how healthcare access (or lack of it) affects your community
• Show up to local government meetings where healthcare decisions are made
• Support politicians who treat healthcare as a right, not a premium package

Because while streaming services might have you thinking twice about what shows you can watch, these healthcare monopolies have people thinking twice about whether they can afford to stay alive. And that’s one show we need to cancel.