Podcast appearances and mentions of brenda gazzar

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Best podcasts about brenda gazzar

Latest podcast episodes about brenda gazzar

Code WACK!
Roe to Resistance: Keeping Abortion Legal in the Heartland

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 17:31


This time on CodeWACK!... What's it like operating an abortion clinic in Wyoming, one of the most anti-abortion states in the nation? Meet Julie Burkhart — longtime reproductive rights advocate, founder and CEO of Trust Women Foundation, which works to expand access to abortion care in underserved communities, and protégé of Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered for providing abortion care. Hear how Dr. Tiller's legacy lives on through her work.  Why are patients traveling hundreds of miles for abortion care, post-Roe? What's it been like to offer care in as state where arson, litigation, and political threats against reproductive care providers are part of daily life.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Code WACK!
RFK Jr.s' dangerous new power over America's public health

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 12:16


This time on Code WACK!  What could Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services mean for the public health of everyday Americans, given his history of vaccine misinformation? With measles already on the rise and deadly, and the looming threat of future pandemics, how might his leadership shape the nation's response to infectious diseases? To find out, we spoke with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed—physician, epidemiologist, author, and county health commissioner. He is formerly the health director for the city of Detroit.  As the host of the award-winning America Dissected podcast, he breaks down the forces shaping public health for tens of thousands of listeners each week. This is the first of two episodes with Dr. El-Sayed.    Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Code WACK!
How Ireland is Fixing Its Healthcare System – And What the U.S. Can Learn

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2025 16:56


This time on Code WACK!  In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're featuring Ireland's healthcare reform agenda known as Sláintecare. What healthcare challenges have plagued the country – and how will Sláintecare help? To find out, we interviewed Dr. Sara Burke, associate professor and director of the Centre for Health Policy and Management in Trinity College Dublin's School of Medicine. She is the Principal Investigator of a research project entitled 'Health system foundations for Sláintecare implementation in 2020 and beyond …' and Co-Director of  SPHeRE, Ireland's national research training program for population health, policy and health services research.  Her research interests include health policy, inequities in health, healthcare access and the politics of health reform. This is the first of two episodes with Dr. Burke. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Code WACK!
The lasting impact of racism in medicine

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 12:11


This time on Code WACK!  How did desegregation impact Black patients in America? What hasn't changed? What does racism in medicine look like today? And what should we do when we see it?  To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Barbara Berney, project creator and producer of the documentary “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” She's also an emeritus professor at City University of New York School of Public Health and a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. healthcare system. This is the second of two episodes with Dr. Berney. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

Code WACK!
Segregation in health care: America's racist - and deadly - legacy

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 16:01


This time on Code WACK!  What did segregation look like in hospitals and medical facilities in America, and did it only extend to the South? What finally brought an end to the deadly practice that cost countless Black and Brown lives?  To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Barbara Berney, project creator and producer of the documentary “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” She's also an emeritus professor at City University of New York School of Public Health and a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. healthcare system. This is the first of two episodes with Dr. Berney. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Could Trump's GOP Budget Cuts Kill Medicaid? Breaking Down the $2.3 Trillion Threat

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2025 15:31


This time on Code WACK!    What's at stake for Medicaid—the lifeline for millions of low-income Americans—under President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress determined to slash spending? How would cutting Medicaid affect the more than 72 million people who rely on it for health care? And is Social Security next on the chopping block?  To break it down, we spoke with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, an organization fighting to protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; lower drug prices; and ensure health care as a human right. This is part one of a two-part series.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
How Many Must Die? America's Health Crisis

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2025 12:36


This time on Code WACK!    Why are some 200,000 Americans dying each year due to issues with their health insurance and access to care? Would a single payer healthcare system put a stop to this?  To find out, we interviewed Dr. James G. Kahn, an expert in health policy and economics, and advisor to Code WACK! and editor and primary blogger of Health Justice Monitor.      Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Murder, Money & Medicine: The United Healthcare CEO Tragedy and America's Insurance Crisis

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 16:31


This time on Code WACK!    The strong reactions to the tragic murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by alleged killer Luigi Mangione are bringing renewed attention to the abuses of for-profit health insurance. How does our complex, costly, and callous for-profit healthcare system contribute to America's high mortality rate and how many people are believed to die each year as a result? To find out, we interviewed Dr. James G. Khan, an expert in health policy and economics, and advisor to Code WACK! and editor and primary blogger of Health Justice Monitor, a health policy blog.    Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Health Equity Now: Tackling Racism in Medicine with Dr. Uché Blackstock

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 17:01


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 book “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine,” which is now available in paperback.  She's also the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, an organization that aims to dismantle racism in healthcare and narrow racial health inequities. Blackstock was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in Global Health and one of the Top 13 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health by Fortune Magazine.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
MLK Day Special: Dismantling Racism in Medicine

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 15:01


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 racism in healthcare and narrow health inequities.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Can veterans really get better care outside the VA?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 14:31


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 Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry executive turned whistleblower, the New York Times bestselling author of Deadly Spin and the president of the Center for Health and Democracy. He's also the author of the Substack newsletter HEALTH CARE un-covered where he recently penned a post entitled “Privatizing the VA: The Unseen Costs to Veterans and Taxpayers Alike.”   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
The sordid financialization of America's healthcare system

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2025 17:31


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 whistleblower, the New York Times bestselling author of Deadly Spin and the president of the Center for Health and Democracy. He's also the author of the Substack newsletter HEALTH CARE un-covered which chronicles out-of-control profiteering in U.S. health care, its impact on everyday Americans, and potential policy solutions.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
A second look at the Indian Health Service: A broken promise?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2024 17:00


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 enough to meet their needs? Why are some members of this highly vulnerable population buying health insurance too?  To find out, we spoke to Elder Billie Tohee, acting executive director of the Albuquerque-based National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) and former chair of the board. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Will Project 2025 sink traditional Medicare?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2024 15:31


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]. With more than 25,000 members across the United States, PNHP advocates for a universal, comprehensive, single-payer national health program. This is the second episode in a two-part series.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
The tricks and traps of Medicare ‘Disadvantage' plans

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2024 16:01


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 president of Physicians for a National Health Program [PNHP]. With more than 25,000 members across the United States, PNHP advocates for a universal, comprehensive, single-payer national health program. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Forsaken? The problem with for-profit health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 15:01


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, a psychiatrist in Idaho and mother of two-year-old Zoey, who has suffered seizures and developmental delays because of a brain tumor discovered when she was an infant. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Coverage denied: A doctor's fight to save her own baby

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 18:01


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 baby's tumor?  To find out, we spoke to Dr. Eunice Stallman, a psychiatrist in Idaho and clinical faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the University of Washington Boise Psychiatry Residency Program. Her daughter Zoey is two years old now and still undergoing medical treatment. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Does Trump mean the end of Medicare for All?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 12:01


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 Briceño, chair of Orange County Democrats and co-chair of Unite Here Local 11, which represents tens of thousands of workers in hotels, restaurants, airports, and sports arenas in Southern California and Arizona. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Taking stock: Health care in the wake of the 2024 elections

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 14:01


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 of thousands of workers in hotels, restaurants, airports, and sports arenas in Southern California and Arizona. Ada is also a former National Steering Committee Member for the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
An Act of Congress? The essential, impossible fight against health insurer profiteering

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 15:01


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 New York Times bestselling author of Deadly Spin and the president of the Center for Health and Democracy. He's also the author of the Substack newsletter HEALTH CARE un-covered which chronicles out-of-control profiteering in U.S. health care, its impact on everyday Americans, and potential policy solutions.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

Code WACK!
Is Aussie health care really better?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 15:01


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 bills? To find out, we spoke to Australian Anna Candler, founder and CEO of The Circular Water Company. Through frequent visits to family in the U.S., Anna has gained firsthand insight into the stark differences between the Australian and American healthcare models. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Health care in the Land Down Under

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2024 15:40


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 frequent visits to family in the United States, particularly in Maryland, she's gained firsthand insight into the stark differences between the Australian and American healthcare models. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Countering systemic erasure? Data justice for marginalized communities

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 16:01


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 state? And what are the hopes and fears of these communities when it comes to their health and the upcoming presidential election?  To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Seciah Aquino, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. This is the second episode in a two-part series.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Public health advocacy: Leveraging the immigrant experience

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 13:01


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 for a Healthy California. How did her experience, first as a young child in Guatemala and later as an immigrant living in Gardena, California, inspire her to pursue higher education and transform her life, and the lives of others? And how did that experience inform her response to the COVID pandemic? Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
A 'giant shell game?' The egregious gimmicks of corporate health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 16:01


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 25,000 members,  and former chief medical officer for one of the largest PBMs in the country. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
'Incestuous exploitation?' PBMs and corporate healthcare consolidation

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2024 15:01


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 Health Program and former chief medical officer of one of the biggest PBMs in the country. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Jacked up premiums & chaos? Why your health care is on the line this November

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 17:01


  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 health care (including contraception)? With so much up in the air, how is Families USA, a leading national, non-partisan voice for healthcare consumers, responding? To find out, we spoke to Anthony Wright, Families USA's new executive director. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Patient-centered health care? The fight to change our disempowering system

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 15:00


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 Wright, who previously served for 22 years as executive director of Health Access California. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Anthony Wright.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
What's being done to stop pharmaceutical pirates?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 13:01


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, the FTC's director of the Office of Policy Planning. Prior to joining the FTC, Garden-Monheit worked at the National Economic Council (NEC), where she served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director for Competition Council Policy. At the NEC, she was extensively involved in shaping the President's Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and much more. This is the second episode in a two part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
How pharmaceutical profiteers are screwing us over

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 12:01


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 joining the FTC, Garden-Monheit worked at the National Economic Council (NEC), where she served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director for Competition Council Policy. At the NEC, she was extensively involved in shaping the President's Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and much more. This is the first episode in a two part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Privatization ‘on steroids?' What health care could look like under Trump

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2024 17:01


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? To find out we spoke to the one and only Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition and former healthcare constituency director for Bernie 2020. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Your needs vs the 'financial incentives of your insurance plan?'

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 18:01


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 Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition and former healthcare constituency director for Bernie 2020. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Need out-of-state coverage? Get ready to jump through hoops & pay through the nose

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 16:01


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? We recently spoke to Rand, a commercial property manager, writer and father of three in Southern California who shared the formidable health and insurance challenges that he's faced with us. Rand asked that we not use his last name for this interview.  This is the second of a two-part series with Rand. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
One man's fight for freedom and choice in health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2024 18:01


This time on Code WACK! Imagine having to fight with your HMO insurer about compensating your surgeon who doesn't belong to your provider network, but happens to be a specialist in a particular procedure that you want because it has fewer side effects. Could you afford to cough up a few thousand dollars to pay the surgeon while hassling with your HMO? But the story doesn't end there. What if you then needed a followup procedure that is relatively new but has a 98% chance of a positive outcome? But the surgeon you want - who invented it - is not in your state, never mind your network? We recently spoke to Rand, a commercial property manager, writer and father of three in Southern California who shared the formidable health and insurance challenges that he's faced with us. Rand asked that we not use his last name for this interview.  This is the first of a two-part series with Rand. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
The corporate 'war chest' that's spending big to control your health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2024 18:01


This time on Code WACK! Why did California's latest single payer bill fail and what can we do about it? How can the public learn the truth about how much they could save with unified financing when deep-pocketed corporations keep lobbying legislators against it? What will it take to make Medicare for All a reality once and for all?  To find out, we asked Jodi Reid,  executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans or CARA, California's largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the second of a two-part series with Jodi. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Penny wise, pound foolish? How our long-term care policies fail us

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 17:01


This time on Code WACK! Why is long term care, including in-home health care, in crisis? How are skyrocketing costs affecting patients? How come two-thirds of people in California who are getting in-home health care get it from family members who are often unpaid?  Would universal long term care - or a single-payer system with unified financing - help?    To find out, we spoke to Jodi Reid, executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans, California's largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. She has more than four decades of organizing experience on issues ranging from health care to housing. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the first of a two-part series with Jodi about long-term care. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Code WACK!
Should health insurers have the final say about your care?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 17:01


This time on Code WACK! How do insurance companies put up barriers to addiction treatments? How does this affect treatment programs and their clients? And how would it be if we had Medicare for All? To find out, we spoke to Arlene Stanich-Prince, executive director of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs in San Francisco, one of the longest standing treatment programs in the area. This is the first of two episodes with Stanich-Prince. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Code WACK!
Is addiction a choice? New perspectives on substance use disorder

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 17:00


This time on Code WACK! What are some of the most common misconceptions about people who are addicted to substances like opioids? What medicines are revolutionizing the way people are being treated today – and how accessible are they?  To find out, we spoke to Arlene Stanich-Prince, executive director of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs in San Francisco, one of the longest standing treatment programs in the area. This is the first of two episodes with Stanich-Prince. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Code WACK!
The ‘silent, slow apocalypse' of corporate health insurance

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 18:01


This time on Code WACK! What is the true cost of the American health insurance system? What toll is it taking on both patients and providers?  And what do we need instead? To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Linda Peeno, a physician, ethicist and health insurance industry whistleblower who testified before Congress and who has spent nearly four decades working to protect patients from harm and death by corporate healthcare systems.  Dr. Peeno was played by actor Laura Dern in the 2002 docudrama “Damaged Care,” and she was also featured in Michael Moore's 2007 documentary “Sicko.”    Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Code WACK!
The deadly calculation of our for-profit healthcare system

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2024 18:01


This time on Code WACK! How did a single mom in Kentucky, in the 1970s, become a physician, then a health insurance medical reviewer and eventually a whistleblower? To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Linda Peeno, a physician and ethicist who has spent nearly four decades working to protect patients from harm and death by corporate healthcare systems.  Dr. Peeno was played by actor Laura Dern in the 2002 docudrama “Damaged Care,” and she was also featured in Michael Moore's 2007 documentary “Sicko.” She has assisted in more than 150 legal cases to expose for-profit systems that have corrupted medicine and health care. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Code WACK!
Does silence still equal death? For too many Americans, the answer is yes.

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2024 20:01


This time on Code WACK! In honor of PRIDE Month, we're revisiting a popular episode about the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. What were the health policy failures that spurred so many Americans to militant activism? How did the LGBTQ+ community win the struggle to get government funding to address the deadly virus? Fortunately today, with appropriate medical intervention, more and more people are living, instead of dying, with HIV/AIDS. But the U.S. still trails many developed countries in life expectancy, a result of health policy failures that continue to cause unnecessary death and suffering.  What can today's Medicare-for-All movement learn from AIDS activists?  To find out, we spoke with Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now Coalition, and former constituency director for Bernie 2020. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!

Code WACK!
The devastating 'domino effect' of state budget cuts

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 12:01


This time on Code WACK! At least seven states are grappling with budget shortfalls in 2024. What goes on behind the scenes when a state needs to cut costs? Who stands to lose the most as programs are trimmed or eliminated? Today we're looking at California's multi-billion dollar budget deficit – and what's being done to protect the state's most vulnerable residents.  To find out, we spoke to Jodi Reid, executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans, California's largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. She has more than four decades of organizing experience on issues ranging from health care to housing. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Health insurance: Is denying care the business model?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2024 19:01


This time on Code WACK! What's the impact of 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, the Minnesota-based founder of “Some People,” a not-for-profit organization and multiverse channel that examines the people, processes and systems that constitute the maintenance of and barriers to health.  This is the first episode in a two-part series with Kimberly. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Our healthcare system's hurting us. Why are lawmakers complicit?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2024 16:01


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 Massachusetts. She's a 2024 Rappaport Fellow in Law and Public Policy and the president of the University of Massachusetts Law National Lawyers Guild chapter. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Rebecca. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
From rage to gratitude: A mother's harrowing journey to save her daughter (and herself)

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 15:01


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 consequences? How has Rebecca's life been transformed since she testified before Congress in 2019 about the impossible choices she faced? This is the first of two podcast episodes featuring Rebecca Wood.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Can single-payer advocates overcome the 'narcissism of small differences'?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2024 18:01


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 Watsonville Canning Strike (Haymarket Books 2016). He represented his union at the founding conference of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer in 2009 and has been involved with the issue ever since. He currently represents the Alameda Labor Council on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Peter Shapiro.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
'Absolutely ruthless': The brutal privatization of U.S. health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2024 17:01


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 Thousand: the Watsonville Canning Strike (Haymarket Books 2016). He represented his union at the founding conference of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer in 2009 and has been involved with the issue ever since. He currently represents the Alameda Labor Council on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Peter Shapiro.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
The single-payer quandary: What would you do with an extra $5,000 a year?

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2024 16:01


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 WACK! and editor and primary blogger of Health Justice Monitor, a health policy blog. This is the second episode in a two part series with Dr. Kahn.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
Simplicity, savings & equity? The single-payer solution

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2024 17:01


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 policy and economics, an advisor to Code WACK! and editor and primary blogger of Health Justice Monitor, a health policy blog. This is the first episode in a two-part series.    Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Code WACK!
What's at stake in 2024? Your health care

Code WACK!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 10:01


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 Kalra. As a longstanding champion of single-payer health care, Assemblymember Kalra introduced statewide legislation known as CalCare (AB 1400 in 2021 and AB 2200 in 2023), which would guarantee comprehensive, high-quality health care for all Californians as a human right. This is the second episode in a two-part series.  Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!