STAT44%

Readout LOUD podcast: FDA commissioner candidates 6%

By Allison DeAngelis25% Elaine Chen14% Adam Feuerstein43%

7/9/2026, 8:07:54 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 10 faulty reasoning types, including Red Herring, Framing Effect, and Negativity Bias, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 16.6% saturation with 77 hits. Analysis detected 304 faulty-reasoning hits from 465 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 21.6% and a BS Rank of 6% (20,698 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 94.60% of the article peer group.

Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates 
By Allison DeAngelis , Elaine Chen , and Adam Feuerstein 
Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. 
She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast,  The Readout Loud .” 
You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01. 
Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. 
She co-writes The Readout newsletter , and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud . 
You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70. 
Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. 
He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. 
You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54. 
Why does getting family health insurance through a job cost as much as buying a new car? 
How did a whistleblower take on an insurance contractor? 
And who might be the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner? 
We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. 
STAT reporter Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new series, “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach,” which dives into how soaring costs for health insurance are hurting Americans and small business owners. 
We also speak with Chris Deacon, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after spotting how an insurer may have violated contracts to provide health benefits for New Jersey’s state workers. 
We also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including Anthropic’s push into drug development and Vertex’s largest-ever acquisition. 
To read the “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach” series, go here ; for more information on AstraZeneca and Ionis Pharma’s trial failure, go here ; for more information on the FDA commissioner candidates, go here ; to read about Vertex’s acquisition of Crinetics, go here ; and to read about Claude Science, go here . 
Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts. 
AstraZeneca , biotechnology , FDA , health care costs , Health insurance , Vertex 
Submit a correction request Reprints 
Biotech Startups and Venture Capital Reporter 
National Biotech Reporter 
Senior Writer, Biotech 
The mysterious case of Eli Lilly’s obesity drug 
New hope in treating Huntington’s disease and a report card on RFK Jr.’s promises 
STAT Plus: An obesity drug deep-dive, and peptides move mainstream 
What RevMed’s pancreatic cancer drug meant for one patient 
STAT Plus: Biotech veteran Jeremy Levin on why the industry’s future is secure, but American leadership is at risk 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 3.4%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.0%STAT: 1.3%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 1.9%Allison DeAngelis: 1.8%STAT: 3.9%Availability Heuristic1.9%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 1.0%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 1.3%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 11.2%Allison DeAngelis: 8.0%STAT: 8.2%Framing Effect11.2%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.7%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.9%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 3.0%Allison DeAngelis: 7.8%STAT: 3.3%Optimism Bias3.0%This article: 4.1%Allison DeAngelis: 0.7%STAT: 1.8%Pessimism Bias4.1%This article: 8.8%Allison DeAngelis: 7.7%STAT: 8.5%Negativity Bias8.8%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 1.1%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.7%STAT: 1.3%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 4.1%Allison DeAngelis: 2.4%STAT: 1.6%Recency Bias4.1%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.4%Straw Man0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.0%STAT: 4.7%Appeal to Authority0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.2%STAT: 1.5%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 1.2%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.0%STAT: 4.6%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 12.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.0%STAT: 0.2%Red Herring12.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.4%STAT: 0.4%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 1.8%STAT: 3.6%Appeal to Emotion0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.2%STAT: 0.9%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.4%STAT: 2.2%Post Hoc (False Cause)0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Tu Quoque0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.7%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 1.9%Allison DeAngelis: 1.7%STAT: 3.3%Anecdotal1.9%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 1.7%Allison DeAngelis: 0.3%STAT: 2.1%Ambiguity (Equivocation)1.7%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.3%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 1.5%Unattributed Quote0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.9%Quote-first Misdirection0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 1.3%STAT: 6.0%Biased Writer Voice0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 2.0%STAT: 2.1%Indoctrination0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.9%Politically Left Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Allison DeAngelis: 0.0%STAT: 0.2%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 16.6%Allison DeAngelis: 7.4%STAT: 3.3%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…16.6%

465 words analyzed.

Speakers

5speakers37%attributed speech291writer words
Voice mapSelect a segment to jump to its words
Writer's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageAllison DeAngelis • 13 words • 0.0% coverageAllison DeAngelis • 14 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageElaine Chen • 27 words • 0.0% coverageElaine Chen • 16 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageAdam Feuerstein • 21 words • 0.0% coverageAdam Feuerstein • 21 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 17 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 11 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 18 words • 0.0% coverageBob Herman • 33 words • 0.0% coverageChris Deacon • 29 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 56 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 21 words • 100.0% coverageWriter's voice • 14 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 5 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 6 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 3 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 8 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 14 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 10 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 9 words • 0.0% coverageWriter's voice • 19 words • 0.0% coverage
Selected voice

Bob Herman

100%flagged-word coverage
33 attributed words19% of attributed speech50% writer coverage
0%15.0%30.0%Attempt to Sell a Product -26.5 ptsWriter: 26.5%Bob Herman: 0.0%0.0%

Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.

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Analysis

Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.