Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK!    For the second episode in our two-part series on racism in medicine, in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, we're asking the question: What is racially concordant care and how does it help save lives? What else can be done to reduce deadly disparities in medicine?    To find out, we spoke to Dr. Uché Blackstock . Blackstock, author of the New York Times best-selling bo...

This time on Code WACK!    In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of equality and justice for all, we welcome Dr. Uché Blackstock, author of the New York Times bestselling book "Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine."  Trained as an ER physician, the Harvard Medical School graduate is founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity , an organization that aims to dismantle racis...

This time on Code WACK!    How is the Department of Veterans Affairs becoming increasingly privatized and what could this mean for those who have served and sacrificed for our country? Is corporate health insurance better than the VA healthcare system - or not? How is privatization affecting the financial viability of the VA -- and what can be done to stop it? To find out, we recently spoke to Wen...

This time on Code WACK!    Why have U.S. administrations from both sides of the aisle chosen to privatize Medicare and how has that complicated health care for patients? How do mega insurance companies benefit as a result? How much is all this costing us, anyway? And what can we do about it? To find out, we spoke with Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry executive turned whistleblowe...

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! In the wake of the recent presidential election , we're revisiting one of our favorite podcast episodes from 2023 about the hurdles America's Indigenous peoples face in accessing health care.  What's being done to help elder Native Americans receive culturally competent long term care? Would it surprise you to learn that relying on the Indian Health Service may not be enoug...

This time on Code WACK!    What could another Trump presidency mean for the rise in Medicare private plans and what would that mean for patient care and financial waste in our healthcare system and for the Medicare Trust Fund?  To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Diljeet Singh , an integrative gynecologic oncologist and incoming president of Physicians for a National Health Program [PNHP]. Wi...

This time on Code WACK!    Why are seniors between a rock and a hard place when choosing between various Medicare options? How do private Medicare plans, known as Medicare Advantage, limit patients' options and why are they considered riskier than traditional Medicare? And what's the 'Medigap Trap?' To find out, we spoke to Dr. Diljeet Singh , an integrative gynecologic oncologist and the incoming...

This time on Code WACK!    What questionable justifications did a major insurance company give to repeatedly deny coverage to treat a baby's brain tumor? What would have been the financial impact on the family if they had to pay for their baby's treatment out-of-pocket? What specific health policies could we implement to avoid situations like this?    To find out, we spoke to Dr. Eunice Stallman ,...

This time on Code WACK! Imagine learning that your baby girl has a brain tumor that's causing seizures and disrupting her development, and your health insurance company is denying coverage for the treatment her pediatric oncologist says she needs to survive and thrive? What would you do? Where did one mother turn when repeated health insurance denials delayed time-sensitive treatment to shrink her...

This time on Code WACK!  What can be done to protect health care for the most vulnerable in the aftermath of Trump's victory? What does another Trump administration mean for single payer both nationally and in the states? How do many union leaders feel about single payer, and why? If we had Medicare for All, what other benefits could unions bargain for? To find out, we recently interviewed Ada Bri...

This time on Code WACK!  What could a Trump White House mean for your health care and your family's? What might it mean for public health at a time when the nation is still reeling from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic? And which populations stand to lose the most?  To find out, we spoke to Ada Briceño , chair of Orange County Democrats and co-chair of Unite Here Local 11 , which represents tens...

This time on Code WACK!  Why have healthcare giants like United Health and Cigna been purging some of their commercial accounts and pivoting to government-funded programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid? How is this affecting patients? And what is the government doing about it?  To find out, we spoke with Wendell Potter , a former health insurance industry executive turned whistleblower, the...

This time on Code WACK! How do some Australians, who have single-payer health care they call Medicare, view the American healthcare system?  What do they think about the many people in America who need to have a job to get health insurance? Who set their wedding day with their health insurance in mind? Or who have health insurance but go bankrupt anyway, because it doesn't cover all their medical...

This time on Code WACK! How does Australia's healthcare system work and why is it considered one of the best in the world? What are some of the ways the Australian healthcare system, which they call Medicare, and private health insurance differ from ours? To find out, we interviewed Anna Candler. An Australian citizen, Anna is founder and CEO of   The Circular Water Company in Sydney. Through freq...

This time on Code WACK!  What is " data justice " and how does it inform and refine health policies for invisibilized communities? What policy solutions are needed to reduce health disparities among people, especially marginalized Latinx and indigenous communities? What role does the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California play in advancing the health of vulnerable communities throughout the sta...

This time on Code WACK!  Public health advocacy requires considerable insight into the major issues that affect communities. How best to gain this insight? What role does direct personal experience play?  Today Seciah Aquino, DrPH, MS shares how her lived experience as an immigrant has informed her work as Executive Director of a leading health equity advocacy organization, the Latino Coalition fo...

This time on Code WACK!  Rebate aggregators? Group purchasing? Vertical integration? How exactly do Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, operate to maximize profit? And how are everyday Americans suffering from these practices? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart , national board secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program , a single-payer advocacy coalition that boasts more than 25,...

This time on Code WACK!  We're taking another look at Pharmacy Benefit Managers or PBMs. Why were PBMs started and how did they morph to become one of the most powerful entities in health care? Why have they caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission? How are they a threat to consumers? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart , the national board secretary of Physicians for a National H...

  This time on Code WACK!  What's at stake in health care with the upcoming federal election? Would Donald Trump really try to repeal the Affordable Care Act - again? Would Kamala Harris continue fighting to rein in the skyrocketing cost of medicine? What will be the fate of Biden-era policies like enhanced tax credits limiting the cost of health insurance premiums? Or access to reproductive healt...

This time on Code WACK!  The fight for affordable, accessible health care in the U.S. has gone on for decades. Who's in the fight to win solutions that improve health care for everyone? What policies are they working on?  Today we're featuring the Washington DC-based Families USA , a leading national nonpartisan voice for healthcare consumers.  We welcome their new executive director, Anthony Wrig...

This time on Code WACK!  What are lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission doing about Pharmacy Benefit Managers and their undue influence over drug prices and access? Who is watching out for consumers when the pharmaceutical industry pursues self-serving arrangements? And what's the impact on independent pharmacies and their patients? To find out, we recently interviewed Hannah Garden-Monheit ,...

This time on Code WACK! So you might have heard the term pharmacy benefit managers – or PBMs – in the news. But what are they? How did these middlemen get to be so powerful? How are they causing drug prices to skyrocket? And what's the Federal Trade Commission doing about it?  To find out, we recently interviewed Hannah Garden-Monheit, the FTC's director of the Office of Policy Planning . Prior to...

This time on Code WACK! As the United States faces an election possibly  unlike any other in our history, we wonder about the future of our healthcare system. What changes might we expect under President Trump, or President Harris? What would a new administration mean for single-payer efforts in states like California and Oregon? And what about Medicare, a lifeline for so many vulnerable Americans...

This time on Code WACK! What's been happening on the healthcare front since California Senate Bill 770, which paves the way for a single-payer healthcare system, was passed last year? What's the process and the timeline? What are the necessary next steps to winning single payer in the Golden State and why is it so important to achieving healthcare equity?  To find out we spoke to the one and only...

This time on Code WACK! How far did one man have to go to get the health insurance he needed to cover a specialized surgery in another state? Despite jumping through many hoops to even qualify to buy the coverage he needed, why did he still end up paying tens of thousands of dollars in out of pocket costs? How much would you be willing to pay for the freedom to consult the doctor of your choice? W...