Ascendiun CEO Paul Markovich Launches National Policy Reform Movement to Rebuild American Healthcare System That's "Worthy of Us All"

Pillars include digital health record, pay-for-outcomes, pharmacy reform and systemwide budget; Mark Cuban joins Markovich for launch event conversation on healthcare costs

NEW YORK, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascendiun today announced the national launch of Worthy, a movement to rebuild the U.S. healthcare system so that it is affordable, transparent and truly worthy of every person it serves.

The announcement follows a standing-room only launch event held earlier today in New York City, where Ascendiun president and CEO Paul Markovich was joined by entrepreneur and healthcare industry leader Mark Cuban for a pointed conversation on the future of American health care. Ascendiun is the parent company of Blue Shield of California, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, Altais and Stellarus.

Worthy is designed to bring forward bold, practical solutions to address long-standing dysfunction in the healthcare system — putting people over profits and reshaping care so that it is affordable, personalized and effective. 

Key pillars to transform America's healthcare system

Worthy is built around the following strategic pillars that address the system's most persistent challenges:

• Ensure every American has access to a comprehensive, real-time digital health record that can be used to personalize their health care and dramatically reduce administrative costs.

• Break the "do more, get paid more" fee-for-service model and instead start paying for health outcomes.

• Make prescription drugs accessible and affordable by eliminating kickbacks in the form of rebates, fees and spread pricing.

• Put the entire healthcare system on a budget.

Worthy is also focused on encouraging the federal government to pursue these changes since the healthcare industry is unlikely to adopt them on their own.

Speaking at today's event, Markovich emphasized the urgency of taking action: "Our healthcare system is bankrupting and failing us. It's way too expensive, it's too impersonal, it doesn't cover everybody, it has inferior quality relative to other countries, and it's mistrusted by far too many Americans. Worthy is about fixing what's broken — through people‑first reform that addresses real solutions to fix the broken healthcare system."

During the fireside chat, Cuban underscored the need for transparency and accountability, including how pharmacy services work for consumers. 

"When the doctor says you need medication, there's no conversation about if you can afford it, just what pharmacy you use," he said. "The people with the least amount of leverage are patients, and they are getting the worst of it. The thing really missing is trust — and the only way you can assure that in health care is transparency."

A unified vision

Worthy also establishes the highest-level objective across Ascendiun and its family of companies, reinforcing the work already underway to improve affordability, access and quality. The movement will reach the public through a comprehensive content ecosystem — including a new Worthy website, podcasts, issues analysis, videos, social channels, media commentary and in‑person forums — aimed at helping Americans understand what needs to change and how to get there.

"We are all mortal, and therefore we are all going to need the healthcare system," Markovich said. "When our loved ones need to access it, we want them to be able to afford it and to get treated the way they deserve to be. Our nonprofit organization describes this as a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable for everyone — or simply, 'worthy of us all'."

For more about Worthy, please visit www.thisisworthy.com, or follow the movement on Instagram and YouTube.

About Ascendiun

Ascendiun is a nonprofit and ultimate parent company of Blue Shield of California, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, Altais and Stellarus. The Ascendiun family of companies are dedicated to advancing better health outcomes, making care more affordable and addressing the unique needs of diverse communities. For more news about, please visit www.ascendiun.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Ascendiun