Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK!  Why are so many Americans choosing to freelance these days? What are some of the benefits - and risks - of choosing to work for yourself? What challenges do gig workers face when it comes to getting the basics, like health insurance and quality health care? To find out, we spoke to Rafael Espinal and Jonathan Gray of the New York-based Freelancers Union . Rafael, a former...

This time on Code WACK! What can be done to ensure that nonprofit hospitals are delivering fairly on their community benefits – and worthy of their huge tax breaks? How does corporate lobbying complicate efforts to improve the oversight of these facilities? Who benefits when hospitals reduce costs without lowering prices for patients? To find out, we spoke to filmmaker Sandra Alvarez , director of...

This time on Code WACK!  When it comes to our broken healthcare system, are nonprofit hospitals part of the solution ... or part of the problem? What are their priorities? How do their actions affect patient care?  To find out, we spoke to filmmaker Sandra Alvarez , director of the new documentary InHospitable , which tells the story of patients and advocates as they fight for their lives and take...

Medicare's 2023 enrollment period is ending on Dec. 7 and Code WACK! is on the case! What are the true risks of choosing Medicare Advantage instead of original Medicare with a Medigap supplement? Are you risking your pocketbook, or your health?  Both , suggests expert Dr. Ed Weisbart, a retired family physician, former chief medical officer of Express Scripts and a national board member of Physici...

This time on Code WACK!. How do the results of the midterm elections affect the prospect for state-based single payer healthcare systems? Will state governments continue to subsidize the private insurance system and defend the status quo as we lose money and lives?  To find out, we asked Michael Lighty , president of Healthy California Now , a statewide coalition dedicated to winning single payer,...

This time on Code WACK!. What do the tight midterm elections mean for our nation's health care? Hanging in the balance are the fates of those who are dependent on pandemic emergency programs for their health care and millions of American seniors who anxiously face the privatization of traditional Medicare .  To find out, we asked Michael Lighty , president of Healthy California Now , a statewide c...

This time on Code WACK! In 2022, nearly half of people eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. So what's the problem? Good question.  To find out, we spoke to Diane Archer , founder and president of Just Care USA , an independent digital media hub covering health and financial issues facing boomers and their families.  What pitfalls does Medicare Advantage pose? Is the Medi...

What are the major differences between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage? How do the two programs compare when it comes to accessing quality care?    To get the facts, join host Brenda Gazzar and Ed Weisbart, MD, a retired family physician, former chief medical officer of Express Scripts and a national board member of Physicians for a National Health Program.  From narrow provider networks...

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?   The skyrocketing cost of treatment and rising insurance premiums are driving some Americans to seek affordable health care abroad. While the COVID pandemic slowed international travel, in 2019 nearly 2 million Americans sought health care abroad, a numbe...

How would most families and individuals fare financially with a single-payer Medicare for All system? What about you? Would you pay more - or less - for health care than you're paying now? If saving money (and lives) weren't enough, what else could we gain if we had Medicare for All? Could Medicare for All help unite our divided nation? To find out, we spoke to James G. Kahn, a professor emeritus...

What do Medicare beneficiaries need to know about open enrollment and their drug plans? How can they get free and unbiased help navigating their Medicare options? Most importantly, how can they save money on their medicines? To find out, we spoke to Steve Maas , a freelance writer and a retired Boston Globe editor. The Maryland resident is currently a volunteer for the State Health Insurance Assis...

What's up with America's prescription drug market? Why do some of us pay a lot more for our prescriptions than others? How can people on Medicare get the best prices for the medicines they need? To find out, we spoke to Steve Maas , a freelance writer and a retired Boston Globe editor. The Maryland resident is currently a volunteer for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (or SHIP program...

What are the primary drivers of poverty in America?  How has the commodification of medicine affected health care? What's behind immigrants' fear of accessing programs established to provide them lawful services?  For these answers and more, we spoke with Maribel Nuñez, executive director of Inland Equity Partnership , an economic justice coalition working to reduce poverty for the most vulnerable...

State by state, advocates of guaranteed health care for immigrants are slowly making gains - what's their formula for success?   Which California immigrants will get access to full Medicaid coverage in 2024, for the first time? How did this happen in an America that sometimes holds complicated feelings about people who are undocumented?   For these answers and more, we spoke with Maribel Nuñez, ex...

How do we know that nearly 340,000 Americans died during the pandemic because they did not have health insurance?   How does this compare to American deaths related to uninsurance during a non-COVID year? How could the U.S. have saved $5 billion or more in healthcare costs during the pandemic?  To find out, we spoke to James G. Kahn, MD/MPH, a professor emeritus of health policy, epidemiology, and...

Why are nearly half of all U.S. residents burdened with medical debt? Does it simply result from people making poor personal choices, or is it a symptom of a deeper, systemic problem with our healthcare system? What are the scary implications of this and what can we do about it? To find out, we spoke to James G. Kahn,  MD/MPH, a professor emeritus of health policy, epidemiology, and global health...

This Labor Day Code WACK! is taking a fresh look at the different perspectives held by organized labor in the fight for Medicare for All. Host Brenda Gazzar and Cindy Young , labor advocate and expert in health benefits negotiations, discuss how union members are harmed by America's fragmented healthcare system. Why are unions split on this issue? What happens when rank and file members disagree w...

What happens when the cost of surviving an illness is so high, it's simply out of reach? How does Big Pharma enjoy such outsized profits from cancer and other treatments? And what about patients who are stuck between a pharmaceutical company and their health insurer?   To find out, we spoke to Dr. David Leibowitz , hematologist-oncologist and incoming chair of Physicians for a National Health Prog...

How have government policies created inequitable access to abortion? What's the Hyde Amendment and what's been its impact over the past 45 years? What role are some states playing in the effort to assure abortion access? And what can we do now to support reproductive freedoms? To find out, we spoke to Cat Duffy , policy analyst with the National Health Law Program , who works on reproductive and s...

What are the implications of the Dobbs ruling for people seeking reproductive care across the United States? What kind of burdens will they face if they have to wait days or even weeks to get an abortion? Will this Supreme Court decision result in people having babies they don't want to have? To find out, we spoke to Cat Duffy , policy analyst with the National Health Law Program , who works on re...

Why is it that many Americans who have health insurance are still not able to get the care they need? How are health insurers increasing their profits at the expense of American families? To find out, we spoke to Wendell Potter , ex-communications executive for the health insurance giant Cigna turned industry whistleblower and New York Times bestselling author. Wendell is the co-founder of Busines...

How is medical debt a racial justice issue, and what's being done about it? What role does the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion play in reducing medical debt and keeping rural hospitals open? And what specific health policy should legislators pursue that would solve the medical debt crisis once and for all? To find out, we spoke to Berneta L. Haynes , a staff attorney for the National Cons...

Why are Black families disproportionately impacted by medical debt in America? How do inequities in housing access and safety, environmental pollution, and health care combine and intensify the vulnerability of disenfranchised communities?   And why have families in Southern states been particularly hard hit?  To find out, we spoke to Berneta L. Haynes , a staff attorney for the National Consumer...

What challenges do people in the LGBTQ+ community face in accessing quality health care and how does this affect their wellbeing? What policy solutions are needed to tackle these challenges? To find out, we spoke to Jeffrey Rodriguez , the incoming director of Community Health Programs at the Los Angeles LGBT Center . He's worked there for the past 12 years mainly in sexual health and education. F...

What special health needs do LGBTQ communities have – and how well are they being addressed? What can our broken healthcare system learn from the retail industry about how to treat clients with unique needs?   To find out, we spoke to Jeffrey Rodriguez , the incoming director of Community Health Programs at the Los Angeles LGBT Center . He's worked there for the past 12 years mainly in sexual heal...