Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK!  What happens when doctors know what their patients need, but the healthcare system stands in their way?  A new report from Physicians for a National Health Program suggests the consequences can be profound. Among more than 1,200 physicians surveyed, 68% reported moderate or severe distress over being unable to provide the best possible care. More than one in four had alrea...

This time on Code WACK! What does it take to survive cancer in America? Working multiple jobs during treatment, borrowing from your 401K, launching a GoFundMe, or rationing your super-expensive cancer medication? For Garrina Ross, the answer was all of the above, and then some.  Diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer eight years ago, the Michigan resident soon discovered that fighting for her l...

This time on Code WACK! In the United States, about 5,800 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each day. That's over 2 million people a year. In fact, excluding the most common skin cancers, nearly four in 10 Americans will develop cancer during their lifetime. Yet cancer is increasingly treatable. Excluding the most common skin cancers, nearly four in 10 Americans will develop cancer during their li...

This time on Code WACK!   An estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with dementia in 2026, with that number expected to rise sharply as the population ages. And care isn't cheap. According to US News and World Report, it averages about $7,600 a month, more than $91,000 a year. For many, special care, especially 'memory care,' will be required at some point in their disease progression.  When a...

This time on Code WACK!  We're revisiting part 2 of a powerful 2024 series in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September. What justification did a major insurance company give to repeatedly deny coverage to treat a baby's brain tumor? What can be done to prevent these denials of life-saving treatment in the future? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Eunice Stallman, a psychiatrist in Idaho...

This time on Code WACK!  About 15,000 children and teens are diagnosed with cancer every year in the United States. While survival rates have improved dramatically, cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children. This time on Code WACK!, we're revisiting a powerful 2024 episode in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September. I magine finding out that your bab...

This time on Code WACK! Labor unions have spent decades fighting to win good health benefits for their members. And by and large, they have succeeded. The ' union advantage ' has been documented. Compared to non-union workers, union workers are more likely to have health insurance coverage… more likely to have a regular care provider…, and to have visited office-based providers 31% more often.   S...

This time on Code WACK! In honor of Labor Day, we're looking at the powerful connection between work and healthcare in America — and what it means for workers when their health coverage is chained to their jobs. Against the backdrop of our ever-changing  economy, we must ask, are the risks of employer-sponsored health insurance greater than the benefits?  Today's guest is Mark Dudzic, a longtime u...

This time on Code WACK!   This time, we're taking a closer look at the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. In a nutshell, the program gives hospitals and clinics that serve low-income and other vulnerable patients deep discounts on prescription drugs. But who really benefits from these discounts? Patients? Or hospitals? Did the legislation really intend that patients be charged coinsurance based on...

This time on Code WACK! What is medical debt? Let's look at what it's not.  It's not excessive spending on a pricey vacation, or on designer clothing or expensive watches. Medical debt usually happens when an unexpected accident or illness lands you in the emergency room or the hospital. Focus on the word 'unexpected.' Then add the word 'expensive.' Today we're talking about the hidden costs of ge...

This time on Code WACK!  Got health insurance, but still can't get the care you need? Ever spent hours on hold, battling claim denials, and jumping through hoops just to get the care you already paid for with your insurance premiums? What does it say about our healthcare system when getting treatment depends not just on your medical needs, but also on how much time, money, and energy you can dedic...

This time on Code WACK!  We're talking about one of the most frustrating experiences in American healthcare -  when your insurance company says 'no.' According to Miranda Yaver, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh, insurance denials aren't rare. They're a routine part of navigating our healthcare system. In her new book, Coverage Denied: How Healt...

This time on Code WACK! California has debated a single-payer healthcare system for decades, but a new UCLA report commissioned by the California Health and Human Services Agency under Senate Bill 770 could reshape the conversation. In this episode, Michael Lighty, president of Healthy California Now , explains how the report moves the debate from cost to equity.  This is the second of two episode...

This time on Code WACK! The upcoming governor's race could shape the future of health care for nearly 40 million Californians. With former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra facing Republican Steve Hilton, the election is raising critical questions about whether California will move closer to a single-payer healthcare system—or further away. Michael Lighty, president of Health...

This time on Code WACK! For many Americans getting the right medical care isn't just about what their doctors recommend, it's also about what their insurance company is willing to cover. So what happens when those two don't agree? And why can it be so difficult for patients to fight back? Attorney Lisa Kantor of Kantor & Kantor, LLP has spent more than two decades helping patients challenge health...

This time on Code WACK! In the United States, as many as 30 million people are affected by eating disorders, including many children and adolescents, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine . Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect both mental and physical health.  How well does our corporate healthcare system respond to illnesses as complex as eating disorders? What happens...

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! Is it really normal that the health insurance we pay for often doesn't fully protect us?  It may be 'normal' but is it right? Millions of Americans face soaring healthcare costs, coverage denials, medical debt, job lock, and even hospital closures. Have we simply come to accept these realities as part of life? Retired pediatrician and healthcare reform advocate Dr. Ana Mali...

This time on Code WACK! America's healthcare system doesn't only hurt us in big ways - like forcing us to choose between getting expensive medical treatments or living sick. Or having to choose the 'least worst,' but always very expensive health insurance policy. It also hurts us in small ways, forcing us to compromise to save a few bucks, to make a thousand little choices that can cost us our qua...

This time on Code WACK!   Imagine being cut off from Mom - a nursing home resident - for months. You can't bring her favorite foods, or help dress her, hug her, or even hold her hand. For thousands of families during the COVID-19 pandemic, this became a heartbreaking reality. And without new laws, advocates say, it could very well happen again. That's why they are fighting to ensure our loved ones...

This time on Code WACK! What role do family members and friends play in the lives of nursing home residents? When COVID hit, how were residents impacted when their loved ones were no longer allowed to visit them?  Today, we share the story of Melody Taylor Stark, who became an advocate for the Essential Caregivers Act after her husband, a retired dentist and nursing home resident, dramatically dec...

This time on Code WACK!  What happens when we get too sick to work in a healthcare system that is tied to our jobs? What is the ultimate cost?  The story of New York Health Act advocate Mariana Pineda is a case in point.  After developing Long COVID, Mariana spent years navigating the same fragmented healthcare system she was fighting to change. She lost her job. She lost her health insurance. She...

This time on Code WACK!  This is the story of a dedicated advocate, organizer, and powerful voice in the fight for healthcare justice - Mariana Pineda. Mariana was a teacher in the Roosevelt School District, Nassau County, Long Island, until she caught a serious case of COVID complicated by pre-existing conditions, including asthma and heart problems. No longer able to work, she lost her employer-...

This time on Code WACK!  For millions of Americans, health care means fighting insurance companies, putting off costly treatment, wondering whether the hospital you prefer is in-network, or fearing financial disaster if you get seriously sick. But what if healthcare worked differently? This is part two of our conversation with Dr. Bernard Ho, an emergency physician in Toronto and vice chair of Can...

This time on Code WACK!  Today we're taking an inside look at Canada's public health insurance system known as Medicare. What are the biggest misconceptions Americans have about it?  What works, what doesn't, and why? And what happens when a public system starts drifting toward privatization?  This is part one of our conversation with Dr. Bernard Ho, an emergency physician in Toronto and Vice-Chai...

This time on Code WACK! As of spring 2026, enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies have not been extended. Without congressional action, millions of Americans could face significantly higher premiums—or lose coverage altogether. Around 22 million people receive ACA premium subsidies, many of whom benefited from pandemic-era enhancements. If those aren't restored, affordability for individuals...