Code WACK!
Code WACK! shines a light on our callous healthcare system and what we can do about it. It reveals the healthcare hassles that - far from being just annoying - threaten our peace of mind, our financial security and at times, our very lives. Join us each week as we chat about the challenges that patients and healthcare providers face, amplifying their voices and examining a range of possible solutions, including Medicare for All. Powered by HEAL California, a project of the California OneCare Education Fund, Code WACK! informs the vital discussion of healthcare reform.
Episodes
This time on Code WACK!
Why can working as a doctor in America feel like being on a battleground? What questionable tactics are insurance companies using? How are they affecting patients and physicians alike? And when coverage is denied, what can patients do? (See Helpful Links below for tips on appeals.)
To find out, we recently spoke with Dr. Erica Rowe ...
This time on Code WACK!
Millions of Americans are expected to forgo buying health insurance starting in 2026 as the cost of their coverage soars. Others who currently qualify for Medicaid may find the rules have changed and they are no longer eligible. What can people do when they need care but can't afford it? And why are young people especially at risk?
To find out,...
This time on Code WACK!
With millions of Americans poised to lose their health coverage due to government cuts to Medicaid and other health programs, what can you do to protect your health and access to care? If you find yourself uninsured, are there ways to get free or low-cost prescription meds and health care?
This time on Code WACK!
What will happen when Medicaid is slashed for millions of people as a result of Trump's H.R. 1, the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill?" How will the largest rollback of the social safety net in over 50 years harm children, families, and rural communities – and what could it mean for states that recently expanded Medicaid, like North Carolina?
...
This time on Code WACK!
While not perfect, Medicaid has served as a lifeline for millions of impoverished Americans, including Jennifer Wells and her mother, who suffered a brain aneurysm years ago. But that lifeline will soon be taken away. Jennifer joins us to talk about the expected ramifications of Trump's H.R. 1, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.
She's the ...
This time on Code WACK!
As a consequence of Trump's drastic cuts to Medicaid and other health programs, experts estimate that between nearly 8 million and 10 million more Americans will be uninsured by 2034. These include the most vulnerable among us, people who depend on Medicaid because they are poor, ill and/or live with disabilities. And here's the kicker: experie...
This time on Code WACK!
What's already changing for people with disabilities now that President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" has been signed into law? From pediatric clinics closing their doors to looming cuts in home and community-based services, the fallout is just beginning — and it's hitting hard.
Today we're joined by two staff members of Disabi...
This time on Code WACK!
We talk a lot about how our healthcare system fails us when we get sick, but what about when regulators fail to PREVENT ILLNESS? Case in point: lead poisoning. It's not just a danger from the past. Thousands of children are sickened from lead poisoning each year across the country.
This week we're looking at New York State which has older, po...
This time on Code WACK!
Imagine discovering that your infant child—your nine-month-old baby—has lead poisoning – a toxin banned from paint and phased out of gasoline decades ago. So why do thousands of children each year have dangerously high levels of lead in their system?
We spoke with New York mom, nurse, and advocate Shannon Burkett, whose son Cooper ...
This time on Code WACK!
What happens when millions are stripped of Medicaid coverage? Who shoulders the costs when hospitals are forced to care for more uninsured patients? And how will unions and the workers they represent bear the brunt of skyrocketing premiums, job losses, and a growing healthcare crisis?
Today we're joined by Cindy Young, a veteran l...
This time on Code WACK!
What happens when millions are stripped of Medicaid coverage? Who shoulders the costs when hospitals are forced to care for more uninsured patients? And how will unions and the workers they represent bear the brunt of skyrocketing premiums, job losses, and a growing healthcare crisis?
Today we're joined by Cindy Young, a veteran l...
This time on Code WACK!
What if California, Oregon, and Washington joined forces to win federal approval for universal, single-payer healthcare? Could a united West Coast shift the balance of power in America's healthcare debate?
To find out, we recently spoke with Michael Lighty, president of the single payer advocacy coalition Healthy California Now. M...
This time on Code WACK!
Why are some Americans choosing to go off the health insurance grid? For Lani Gonzales, entrepreneur and hypnotherapist, it was the mounting frustration with denials, delays … and ultimately being dropped by her health insurer through no fault of her own. So instead of reapplying she walked away—and pieced together a system for herself. Combini...
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
What would you do if your health insurer suddenly dropped you, and the care you needed cost thousands out of pocket? That's what happened to Lani Gonzales, a former attorney from Florida who thought she understood contracts, until she came face-to-face with America's broken healthcare system.
After experiencing medical debt and bein...
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
Most of us know that our profit-driven healthcare system results in moral injury. How is moral harming physicians? And how is it harming patients? Dr. Diljeet Singh is an integrative gynecologic oncologist and the president of Physicians for a National Health Program. She's leading a powerful new project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ...
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
What happens when doctors feel forced to act against their own moral compass? When financial barriers—not clinical judgment—determine the care a patient receives?
We're talking about moral injury in medicine—how it's affecting physicians, harming patients, and why it's getting worse under our profit-driven healthcare system.
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
As Trump Administration attacks on public health care ramp up, what's California doing to fight back? Can the state break free from a system that puts profits over patients — and build a truly universal, single-payer healthcare system? Or will political roadblocks and federal inaction keep us stuck in a broken status quo? Bottom line, how close ...
This time on Code WACK!
What does freedom really mean when, in 2025, health care costs more than $31,000 a year for the average American family? This Independence Day, we're revisiting a powerful conversation about how single-payer healthcare could slash costs, unleash innovation, and expand access for all. Could it also help revive the American Dream of owning your o...
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
As millions of Americans face losing their health coverage, what can single-payer advocates do right now to protect our care and push for something better? What's truly at stake for our country—and especially for its most vulnerable residents?
To find out, we spoke to Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition...
THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!
How are young people pushing back against a potential rollback that could once again block DACA recipients, or Dreamers, and thousands of others from enrolling in Affordable Care Act coverage? And why do advocates call this potential move by the Trump administration extremely dangerous?
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