Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained

Big Pharma earns a 76% gross profit margin - and three corporate middlemen pocket 41 cents of every dollar Americans spend on prescriptions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Alejandro Molina at Groundwork Collaborative breaks down their bold new plan, AmericaRx, that could change everything in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Louise ...

Is the screwworm outbreak actually a threat to your food? How have cuts to our nation’s food infrastructure made our food supply less safe and endangered our health? Dr. Carrie McMahon, a former FDA regulatory scientist with over two decades of experience, now a contributor to Unbiased Science, cuts through the noise and delivers unbiased, evidence-based answers in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and h...

New federal rules require some Medicaid recipients to prove they qualify for a "medical frailty" exemption - or lose their coverage. Here's what you need to know before it's too late. Nicole Jorwic at Caring Across Generations breaks down the new Medicaid work requirements that take effect next year - and the proposed new CMS rules that determine who qualifies as "medically frail" in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer su...

Why is healthcare so expensive in America? Hospital mergers are driving up your health care bills - and the data proves it. Natasha Murphy at Center for American Progress breaks down how hospital consolidation hands Big Hospital the power to charge you whatever they want in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Pl...

Big Pharma just took a massive loss at the Supreme Court - and it means lower drug prices for millions of Americans. Merith Basey at Patients for Affordable Drugs breaks down the Supreme Court's decision to reject pharmaceutical industry lawsuits challenging Medicare drug price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health c...

The doors keep swinging at the Department of Health and Human Services. With multiple top health agencies now run by acting officials, who is actually steering America's public health? As the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak winds down, a new Ebola outbreak is rapidly spreading. What happens to patients when no one's in charge? Kayla Hancock at Protect Our Care does a deep dive into the leadership vac...

Hantavirus is dominating the news - but how much of what you're hearing is actually true? From the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak to viral social media claims, misinformation is spreading almost as fast as the headlines. Dr. Christina Madison the Public Health Pharmacist cuts through the noise in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard fr...

Every year, tens of millions of Americans are denied the medical care they've already paid for - not by their doctors, but by their insurers. Miranda Yaver PhD, the author of the new book Coverage Denied, explains how insurers use "rationing by inconvenience", and what patients, advocates, and policymakers can do to fight back in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and heal...

How can Americans finally pay less for prescription drugs? Vinny DeMarco from Maryland Health Care for All breaks down what's actually being done to lower prescription drug costs in states like Maryland and Colorado, what still needs to happen, and how YOU can take action in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

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Learn how to be a patient advocate in healthcare and take your fight straight to your legislators. Mollie Montague of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network breaks down exactly how everyday people can lobby their legislators for better health care in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Louise Nor...

Every year, millions of Americans are blindsided by surprise medical bills and crushing debt - not because they did anything wrong, but because the system is designed to be confusing. Patricia Kelmar of PIRG explains your rights under the No Surprises Act, how surprise medical billing has changed, and what you can do about it in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and healt...

Sixteen years ago, the Affordable Care Act transformed American health care. Anne Shoup of Protect Our Care breaks down the victories, and the relentless assault on Obamacare. What’s happening, who’s responsible, and what you can do to fight back in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Diane Archer of Just Ca...

Casey Means is a wellness influencer and close ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She was nominated by President Trump for Surgeon General on RFK Jr.'s recommendation. Kayla Hancock of Protect Our Care digs deeper into Casey Means’ background, and why she is dangerously unqualified to be America’s top doctor in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Pa...

Public health infrastructure represents the backbone of our nation's health security, yet decades of chronic underfunding have left the system fragile and increasingly vulnerable. Dr. Stella Safo of Civic Health Alliance discusses the current dismantling of public health institutions and what the healthcare sector can do to defend and strengthen these critical systems in this #CareTalk episode with show ho...

Insurance denied your claim? You don't have to take no for an answer. Free AI tools help patients write professional appeal letters when their insurance company denies care. Whether you're fighting a prior authorization denial, a claim rejection, or being told a treatment isn't "medically necessary" – you can push back. Neal Shah from Counterforce Health talks about their free tools and resources to empower...

Pharmacy Benefit Managers, otherwise known as PBMs, are third-party middleman companies that manage prescription drug benefits for insurers, employers, and government programs. They have been blamed for the high cost of prescription meds in America. Dr. Jeoffry Gordon from Doctors for America explains what PBMs are and what they do, and talks about the newest regulations from Congress and how that could affect yo...

President Trump recently announced TrumpRx, a new direct-to-consumer website that he claims will lower prescription drug costs in the U.S. What is TrumpRx and how does it work? Will it help you access cheaper medicines, or not? Peter Maybarduk from Public Citizen talks about it in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Diane Archer from Just Care &...

One year later, how has Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. affected our public health? Rebecca Parks from Protect Our Care talks about it in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Diane Archer from Just Care & Social Security Works and Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org answer your American health insur...

After over a decade of promises, President Trump finally released a health care plan. What’s in it and how will it affect you? Charles Gaba from ACASignups.net talks about it in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.

Plus Diane Archer from Just Care & Social Security Works and Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org answer your American health ...