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What convinced a global health expert that single-payer healthcare systems are the way to go ? How did the coronavirus pandemic impact the existing American healthcare system? Why has the California Legislature failed to get to single-payer despite widespread support for it ? University of California San Francisco professor emeritus James G. Kahn , health economics expert, and Brenda Gazzar discus...

What about the people who earn too much for Medicaid but too little to afford Obamacare? How has our broken healthcare system taken center stage at the union bargaining table? Have racial and generational divisions held back the healthcare reform movement? Sean Cavanaugh, campaign director for Whole Washington , and host Brenda Gazzar, discuss why bridging the racial generation gap is key to winni...

How does our corporate healthcare system prevent us from fully investing in the public good ? What about its disparate impact on Black Americans ? How would we all benefit if our society prioritized taking care of people ? Sean Cavanaugh , campaign director for Whole Washington , and host Brenda Gazzar , discuss why SB 5204, the latest single payer bill in Washington State, is vital and how it wou...

What are the traps that can keep survivors locked into abusive relationships ? Is domestic violence more common in lower-income households? What advantages do higher-income survivors have when they seek help?  Michele Hamilton , counselor and board member of Health Care 4 All-PA , joins host Brenda Gazzar to discuss how Medicare for All would change the dynamics for abuse survivors. Click here for...

Domestic abuse victims often need urgent treatment for health problems resulting from physical and emotional assault .  In many cases, they must find shelter in another town, county or state. How does the U.S. health insurance system respond to their needs? What about county-specific safety-net programs?  Michele Hamilton , counselor in a domestic abuse shelter and board member of Health Care 4 Al...

California's migrant farmworkers suffer from more than inadequate housing, inaccessible health care and social isolation . What are the health risks they face at work each day while contributing to the state's booming agricultural economy ? Radio Bilingue's Hugo Morales and host Brenda Gazzar discuss the dangers farmworkers face at work, including pesticide exposure, working around farm animals an...

What health challenges do California's farmworkers and their families routinely face as a consequence of dire poverty ? What's it like to be socially isolated and treated like an alien?   Hugo Morales , co-founder and executive director of  Radio Bilingue , and host Brenda Gazzar discuss his incredible life, starting as a  Mexican-born indigenous child who joined his father at a farm labor camp in...

What options are there for an  uninsured performing artist  facing  financial destruction from medical bills ? How does one's  state of residence  impact the  affordability of health care ? Eliska Hahn and host Brenda Gazzar discuss the challenge of affording health care after developing a devastating illness even with the Affordable Care Act. 

How did a hardworking, highly talented performance artist end up declaring medical bankruptcy at age 23? Does the desire for dignity, independence and healthcare security mean Americans must give up their dreams of working in creative fields ? Host Brenda Gazzar and Eliska Hahn , voice talent, model and actor, examine how America's fragmented healthcare system let her down as she started a family...

Why are incarcerated people experiencing devastating coronavirus outbreaks ? What special vulnerabilities do they face that increase their susceptibility to the virus?  Host Brenda Gazzar and Dr. Nina Harawa discuss how the day-to-day realities of life in prisons and jails make it nearly impossible to avoid exposure , and what needs to be done about it. 

Today we're celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr ., a racial equity champion, with a look at how stigmatized communities such as HIV-positive, transgender and incarcerated people are faring overall and during the coronavirus pandemic. Host Brenda Gazzar and Dr. Nina Harawa discuss the special vulnerabilities they face,  and how to effectively communicate vital health-related informat...

How can a father cope with the senseless death of a beloved son following a missed $20 premium payment ? What devastating consequences can result when a patient's health insurance changes without warning ? Host Brenda Gazzar and Scott Desnoyers discuss how an unexpected health insurance change meant that his son Danny lost access to critical medication , which he says contributed to his son's suic...

How can we overcome vaccine hesitancy among Americans? What role does distrust of the medical establishment play in the decision to be vaccinated? Why do some communities have serious concerns around seeking medical care? Host Brenda Gazzar and Dr. Rob Davidson , practicing emergency room doctor, discuss the targeted messaging campaign being launched by   the  Committee to Protect Medicare , the l...

Why is it that an advanced nation like the U.S. has experienced over 2 million COVID-19 infections ?  How have factors like the lack of a coordinated federal response and an inadequate health insurance system contributed to our national health tragedy? Host  Brenda Gazzar  and  Dr. Rob Davidson , practicing emergency room doctor and head of Committee to Protect Medicare , discuss how wearing masks...

Why did a man in his 20s die from a totally treatable disease?  How do social determinants affect patients' ability to get to doctors appointments or buy prescribed medicines? Host  Brenda Gazzar  and  Dr. Susan Roger s, new president of  Physicians for a National Health Program , discuss how essential it is to acknowledge the role inequities play in health care and to stop blaming patients .

What was it like growing up Black in America during the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960's? What was the experience of systemic racism faced by students of color - especially Black women - in medical school  during that era? With host Brenda Gazzar , Dr. Susan Roger s, new president of Physicians for a National Health Program , describes the life experiences that helped shape her commitment to ...

What are the prospects for single payer in California ? What role might the Healthy California for All Commission play in the future of the state's healthcare system? What about Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature? Michael Lighty , founding fellow of the Sanders Institute and former healthcare constituency director for Bernie 2020, and host Brenda Gazzar discuss who and what California single-pa...

What are the prospects for Medicare for All under President-elect Joe Biden 's tenure given his stated opposition to it? What steps can we expect the federal government to take to address healthcare inequities ? What about reform efforts within the states ?   Michael Lighty , founding fellow of the  Sanders Institute  and former healthcare constituency director for  Bernie 2020 , and host  Brenda...

How likely is it that the   U.S.   Supreme Court would rule the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional? What does "unconstitutional" actually mean in this context?  Scott Nelson, a public interest attorney  working with  Public Citizen,  and host  Brenda Gazzar  discuss  possible outcomes  to the case against Obamacare, and the reasons why Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organizatio...

The Affordable Care Act   is before the Supreme Court again . What's the latest case about? Why are  California and Texas suing over the landmark legislation?  What  impact  might the court's decision have on Americans' health care ?  Scott Nelson, a public interest attorney  working with the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization  Public Citizen,  and host  Brenda Gazzar  discuss the latest leg...

What recourse do performers and media professionals have in the face of rising health insurance premiums ? Is t he entertainment industry bouncing back from the pandemic? Ayesha Orange, professional dancer, choreographer, and single mom, joins host Brenda Gazzar to discuss how increased health insurance expenses   may affect her and her young son  next year.

Changes to  SAG-AFTRA's benefit plans  concern working-age performers and retirees alike. What happens when an artist can't get enough work to qualify for benefits - like, during a pandemic? And what about COBRA ? Ayesha Orange, professional dancer, choreographer, and a single mom, joins host Brenda Gazzar to discuss how changes to SAG-AFTRA's benefit plans are throwing even more worries into the...

How does having to work to qualify for employer-sponsored health insurance  affect   Americans with chronic illness? Does managing health insurance get any easier after retirement ? (Hint - not necessarily.) Are Medicare Advantage plans really advantageous ? And for whom?  Retired actor  Kathy Fields Lander,  wife of actor and comedian David L. Lander, and host  Brenda Gazzar  talk about how fears...

Did you hear about the upcoming changes to SAG-AFTRA's employee-benefit plans ? How are union health plans coping with America's out-of-control healthcare costs ? Are retiree health benefits guaranteed for life ?   David L. Lander, his wife Kathy Fields Lander , and host  Brenda Gazzar  discuss  how changes to SAG-AFTRA's benefit plans impact long-time union members like them and the complicated,...

Is healthcare inequality more evident to America's mayors than to our federal representatives?   How differently might the pandemic have played out if Medicare for All had already been in place ? Did the link between employment and health insurance force Americans to keep working - not just for the income but also for the insurance ? Libby Schaaf,   Oakland, California mayor , and host  Brenda Gaz...