Sem serves as dean and professor of business, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of technology transfer at Concordia in Mequon. He also serves as director of the Rx Think Tank, focused on health care policy reform.

“I think the biggest problem in America, of course we need new treatments for disease, but it’s just the dysfunctional health care system we have,” he said in a WisBusiness.com interview on his book.

The COVID-19 crisis has put a strain on the healthcare industry, Sem said. However he pointed out that loosened regulations, such as licensure across state lines and telehealth, have accelerated the advancement of health care.

“It’s also weakening what some call the medical industrial complex, which is a lot of what my book is about and why health care is so darn expensive,” he said. “If that gets weakened and we empower consumers and consumerization of care, I think that’s the way we control cost.”

Watch the interview for Sem’s idea of a “purple solution.”

For more information: https://purplesolutions.org. Buy the book here.