Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK!   How do Managed Care health insurance plans hurt patients? Why is it legal for commercial health insurers to use Denial-of-Care as a business model? And what is one organization doing to call attention to such issues?  To find out, we spoke to Kimberly J. Soenen , founder of  "SOME PEOPLE, " a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization and multiverse channel dedicated to re...

This time on Code WACK! What's the impact of commercial health insurance Denial-of-Care tactics? Who "wins" when new employees have to wait three months before their health insurance kicks in? What devastating physical, financial and emotional consequences did one young woman face after she was seriously injured during such a waiting period?  To find out, we spoke to Kimberly Soenen , founder of C...

This time on Code WACK! Why do lawmakers continue to ignore the toll our broken healthcare system takes on us?   And what can we do, ourselves, to bring about change? What inspired single-payer advocate and mother Rebecca Wood to put much of her activism on hold to "sharpen her swords"?  To find out, we interviewed Rebecca, a first-year law student and public interest fellow at the University of M...

This time on Code WACK! In honor of Mother's Day,  we're talking about how our dysfunctional health insurance system affects moms. How far did one mother go to ensure that her daughter – born extremely premature – got the critical care she needed?  How did our broken healthcare system push our guest, Rebecca Wood , to delay her own care for the sake of her daughter Charlie, with devastating conseq...

This time on Code WACK!  With all its apparent advantages, why hasn't California passed single payer yet? Is organized labor fully in the Medicare-for-All game? Do managed care providers - like Kaiser Permanente - have outsized influence on healthcare reform in the state?  To find out, we spoke to Peter Shapiro , a retired letter carrier and author of Song of the Stubborn One Thousand: the Watsonv...

This time on Code WACK!  How is private equity affecting our healthcare system? What's being done about it? How does our fragmented healthcare system affect patients , including people who have cancer? And what cues can healthcare reform activists take from California's immigrant community ? To find out, we spoke to Peter Shapiro , a retired letter carrier and author of Song of the Stubborn One Th...

This time on Code WACK!  How would single-payer, Medicare for All affect the experience of getting care? Would it make it easier to find and see a primary care doctor? And just as importantly, how much money could individuals and families save under a state or national single-payer system?  To find out, we spoke to Dr. James G. Kahn , an expert in health policy and economics, an advisor to Code WA...

This time on Code WACK!    What the heck is going on with Medicare for All in California? Can single-payer advocates overcome their differences and finally win health care for all in the Golden State? What's the significance of two recent bills, Senate Bill 770, and Assembly Bill 2200, in achieving Medicare for All in California?  To find out, we spoke to Dr. James G. Kahn, an expert in health pol...

This time on Code WACK!  Will California's new single payer bill,  CalCare , be a tough sell for the state's legislature, even if most of the state's residents want Medicare for All?   What political hurdles must be cleared before such a bill would pass? And what would it mean for single payer efforts if Donald Trump is re-elected president this year? To find out, we spoke to Assemblymember Ash Ka...

This time on Code WACK!  Once again, a new single-payer bill, AB 2200 or CalCare , sponsored by the California Nurses Association , has been introduced in the California state legislature. How will it help save lives? Will it break the bank, or will it save us money? What's different about this version of the bill and what kind of support does it have in the state legislature?    To find out, we s...

This time on Code WACK!    Besides the Alabama IVF decision, how else are reproductive rights being rolled back in America? Why are some states going after e mergency contraception known as the morning-after pill? What policy solutions are needed to better protect reproductive rights? To find out, we spoke to Vina Smith-Ramakrishnan , a fellow at The Century Foundation , where she works on issues...

This time on Code WACK! Where are we today when it comes to reproductive rights in America? And what does the latest IVF case in Alabama mean for reproductive justice and healthcare equity in America?  To find out, we spoke to Vina Smith-Ramakrishnan , a fellow at The Century Foundation , where she works on issues related to maternal health and reproductive rights and justice. Vina's work supports...

This time on Code WACK!  Are regulations meant to protect nursing home residents being enforced? How is understaffing at the California Dept of Public Health affecting nursing home regulation?  Are for-profit and nonprofit nursing homes comparable when it comes to the quality of care residents receive? What reforms are in the works to better protect residents? To find out, we spoke to Tony Chicote...

This time on Code WACK!    The COVID pandemic devastated nursing homes and other long-term care facilities highlighting the need for major reforms. What are the policies behind the often dismal performance of the nursing home industry? What policy changes have been made so far and why are nursing home residents still so vulnerable?  To find out, we spoke to Tony Chicotel , senior staff attorney at...

This time on Code WACK!    Why is tying a medical provider's pay to the outcomes of their patients a bad idea? Why else should we be concerned about Accountable Care Organizations and the privatization of traditional Medicare?  To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ana Malinow ,  who spent three decades working as a pediatrician with immigrant, refugee and underserved children before retiring as Clinical P...

This time on Code WACK!    You've probably heard about the dangers of Medicare Advantage, but did you know that traditional Medicare is being privatized too? How is this corrupting our healthcare system even more and what does this mean for patients?   To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ana Malinow ,  who spent three decades working as a pediatrician with immigrant, refugee and underserved children in O...

This time on Code WACK!  Some states are making it easier for trans and non-binary individuals to get gender-affirming care but in other states, a record number of laws have been passed to outlaw  – or limit – such care. What kind of toll does this take on people in the trans community, their doctors and their advocates?  What policy solutions are needed to ensure that everyone, regardless of gend...

This time on Code WACK!  What unique challenges do transgender individuals face when it comes to accessing health care - especially in rural America? Why is gender affirming care considered potentially life saving for trans and nonbinary individuals? How do inaccessible health care, employment discrimination and medical mistreatment intersect for trans people? To find out, we spoke to Ash Orr , a...

This time on Code WACK!   What can be done about the fentanyl crisis on Los Angeles' Skid Row that disproportionately affects Black residents? What policy solutions are needed? In light of the historical evidence of racial disparities in the criminal justice and healthcare systems, should reparations be considered?   To find out, we spoke to Nyabingi Kuti , director of the LA Harm Reduction Networ...

This time on Code WACK!  More than 3,000 people died of drug overdoses in Los Angeles County alone in 2022 and last October, Hollywood actor Matthew Perry, of "Friends" fame, became one of the latest overdose victims when he accidentally died of acute effects of ketamine at his Los Angeles home.  Perry's story reminds us that no one is immune to drug overdoses, but who are the most vulnerable in L...

This time on Code WACK!    Can California's new Office of Health Care Affordability stem the rising tide of healthcare inflation? Are similar efforts to rein in healthcare costs happening in other states? And what does the creation of the Office mean about the chance for single-payer, Medicare for All in the Golden State?   To find out we spoke to Ian Lewis , the policy director for Unite Here Loc...

This time on Code WACK!   The New Year is ringing in higher health care premiums while U.S. life expectancy continues to fall. Despite spending more on health care than any other country, we don't seem to be getting much bang for our bucks! For instance, in 2023 American men can expect to live to age 73 while Frenchmen can expect to live to age 80 - nearly 10% longer!  What's the link between lowe...

This time on Code WACK!   In honor of more than 200 podcast episodes and the New Year, we're running one of our oldies but goodies about the medical tourism phenomenon -  Need surgery but your $7,000 deductible is in the way?  How about major dental care that your insurance doesn't even begin to adequately cover?  Could you save by going to another country for treatment? The skyrocketing cost of c...

This time on Code WACK!   Patients aren't the only people who are frustrated with our current healthcare system. So are doctors! Why?  And why doesn't free market capitalism work with health care? To find out, we spoke to award-winning filmmaker Maddy Purves , who is editor of the documentary Healing US narrated by Susan Sarandon , and Laura Fielding , founder of Red Berets for Medicare for All an...

This time on Code WACK! How did the new documentary Healing US , about the drawbacks of America's for-profit healthcare system, get made? Which harrowing stories did they highlight? When Americans need health care, why do so many worry whether they can afford to be treated? For answers to these questions and more, we spoke to award-winning documentary filmmaker Maddy Purves, who is editor of the f...