Rethinking Healthcare from the Ground Up
The U.S. healthcare system has long been criticized for being costly, convoluted, and impersonal. But beyond the statistics and headlines lies a deeper, more human issue: dignity. How do we restore humanity to a system that often feels transactional? This was the central question explored in a compelling conversation with Nami, a healthcare entrepreneur on a mission to transform how we experience care—starting from the ground up.
Nami has a background that spans global economic development, health, and human rights. Her work has taken her from working on population health in Nepal to building scalable technology companies in the U.S. That diversity of experience gives her a unique vantage point: healthcare is not just about services or access—it’s about trust, respect, and the basic dignity every human deserves.
The Crisis of Trust in American Healthcare
Trust is the bedrock of any relationship. In healthcare, it can mean the difference between proactive engagement and delayed intervention. And yet, trust in the U.S. healthcare system is alarmingly low. According to Nami, fewer than 20% of Americans trust the current healthcare infrastructure. This is not a marginal issue; it’s a crisis.
Much of that distrust is fueled by negative experiences—surprise billing, opaque pricing, and confusing systems that place the burden of navigation on the patient. Nami argues that these aren’t isolated incidents. They’re systemic design failures.
“People are not opting out of healthcare because they don’t need it,” she says. “They’re opting out because they don’t trust it.”
That lack of trust is particularly dangerous in a country where chronic illness is rising and where healthcare outcomes are disproportionately poor for communities of color and low-income populations. We’ve built a system where access exists in theory, but the lived experience of that access is riddled with frustration, fear, and inequality.
A New Framework: What If We Designed for Dignity?
So how do we fix it?
Nami’s approach is refreshingly simple, yet radically different from the status quo: design healthcare around the lived experiences of people. Rather than building solutions on top of broken systems, she believes we need to start fresh—by listening to the people who use healthcare every day.
Her current company is doing just that by asking people in underserved communities a simple but powerful question: “What would healthcare look like if it restored your dignity?”
The answers vary—from wanting shorter wait times and easier appointment booking to the ability to speak to a provider who looks like them or speaks their language. But the common thread is the desire for respect, ease, and human connection.
One woman, for example, simply wanted to avoid being mistaken for a drug seeker every time she went to the emergency room with chronic pain. Another expressed how powerful it would be to have someone who could explain medical terms in plain language—without judgment.
These aren’t technological challenges; they’re human ones.
A System That Meets People Where They Are
What Nami is building is not just another healthtech startup—it’s an ecosystem rooted in trust. Her model prioritizes accessibility, transparency, and cultural relevance. The goal is not just to treat illness but to meet people where they are—physically, emotionally, and socially.
This includes having navigators who are deeply embedded in the community—people who speak the language, understand the culture, and are trusted. It includes pricing that is transparent and fair, and systems that are built for simplicity rather than complexity.
In short, it’s a reimagining of healthcare as a public good, not a luxury.
“Our ambition is to build the most trusted healthcare company in America,” she says.
That ambition stems from her belief that trust must be earned, not assumed. And it starts with listening—not just to patients, but to the communities they’re part of.
Rebuilding from the Bottom Up
What’s striking about this model is its intentional focus on the “bottom of the pyramid”—the people who are often overlooked by traditional healthcare systems and even by many healthcare startups. These individuals aren’t viewed as profitable by most business models, but they are often the ones who have the most to gain from systemic transformation.
Rather than targeting high-margin services for affluent populations, Nami’s approach is to start where the need is greatest and build from there. She believes that if you can design a system that works for the most vulnerable, it can work for everyone.
“There’s this belief that solving for the top will trickle down,” she notes. “But the truth is, it rarely does. Solving for the bottom forces you to build something fundamentally better.”
And in doing so, her company is uncovering what people truly value: being seen, heard, and respected.
The Power of Lived Experience
One of the reasons this model resonates so deeply is because it centers lived experience as expertise. Nami herself has experienced the brokenness of the U.S. healthcare system as a patient and as a caregiver. And she knows what it means to feel dismissed or dehumanized in a medical setting.
But she also brings a global perspective. In many countries, especially where resources are scarce, healthcare delivery is rooted in relationships. There’s no room for inefficiency or bureaucracy. Trust is currency.
That ethos is what she’s bringing to the U.S. healthcare conversation—reminding us that dignity is not a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation of good care.
What’s Next? Building a Movement, Not Just a Company
While Nami is building a company, she’s also igniting a larger movement. One that invites people to imagine what healthcare could be—not just in terms of technology or infrastructure, but in terms of values.
That movement is gaining traction. People are tired of feeling powerless in the face of medical complexity. They’re ready for something new—something that respects their time, intelligence, and humanity.
And as the system continues to strain under its own weight, models like the one Nami is building may offer a path forward. Not just for underserved communities, but for everyone.
The future of healthcare won’t be built by optimizing existing models. It will be built by reimagining the very purpose of care.
And at the center of that future is a deceptively simple idea: every person deserves to feel dignified when they seek help. When we start from that truth, everything else changes.
Listen to the episode: Gut + Science | Episode 269: The Meaningful Work Journey of a Repeat Founder with Nami Baral
Key Takeaways:
- Meaningful work is achieved through a sense of community, alignment with personal values, joy, and a sense of pride.
- Empathy is a crucial attribute for leaders, as it allows them to understand and support the needs of their team members.
- In the age of AI, leaders should focus on upskilling their workforce and leveraging AI technology to enhance productivity and efficiency.
- Putting humans at the center of AI technology is essential to ensure positive outcomes and avoid replacing humans with AI.
- Balancing work and family requires resilience, patience, and a focus on physical and mental health.
- Learning something new is a passion for Nami and helps her lose track of time.
Things to listen for:
[00:02:30] Why trust in healthcare is broken: “Less than 20% of people in this country trust healthcare.”
[00:05:10] The critical distinction between access and dignity in healthcare systems.
[00:08:15] Stories from real patients: what people actually want from their healthcare experience.
[00:11:45] Why healthcare innovation often fails marginalized communities—and what it takes to change that.
[00:14:20] The concept of redesigning healthcare from the bottom up rather than the top down.
[00:17:50] “If you build for dignity, you inherently build for trust”: the design principles behind a new care model.
[00:20:35] Embedding cultural relevance and empathy through community-rooted care navigators.
[00:23:00] What it means to be the most trusted healthcare company in America—and how that differs from being the biggest or fastest growing.
[00:26:10] Reflections on building healthcare as a public good, not a business for the elite.
[00:29:45] Why solving healthcare for the most vulnerable leads to better solutions for everyone.
