Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained
Care Talk is a weekly American healthcare podcast, from a progressive point of view. Hosted by Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate, health and public policy experts explain health care in the United States and answer your questions on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, private insurance, and more. We help patients and families navigate America's health insurance and health care industries, and cover in-depth how to deal with medical debt, fight insurance company denials of care, access cheaper prescription drugs and better health care. New episodes every Tuesday. CALL/TEXT IN YOUR QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE EPISODES (202) 838-6837.
Episodes
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 insura...
New U.S. dietary guidelines released earlier this month emphasize "real food" with more protein, full-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, while significantly reducing highly processed foods, added sugars, and refined carbs. Dr. Rebecca Fujimura of Doctors for America explores the new food pyramid, and what they got right and wrong in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer surviv...
The U.S. House just passed a bill extending Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years, making health insurance plans more affordable to middle class voters. But the Senate already voted down this bill last year. Charles Gaba from ACASignups.net explains what’s happening and how it will affect your health insurance cost in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocat...
2025 was a year of unprecedented attacks on public health in America, from the appointment of antivax conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health & Human Services, to devastating cuts to funding and medical research. Diseases like measles and whooping cough are making a comeback, and Americans are unprotected. Rebecca Parks from Protect Our Care explains what’s happened to public healt...
Congress has still not acted to lower health insurance costs for next year. Two competing bills failed in the Senate, and now it’s the U.S. House’s turn. Margarida Jorge from Health Care for America Now explains what’s happening in Congress and how it affects our health care in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Heal...
Prices for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are dramatically increasing, because Congress hasn’t taken action. Felicia Burnett from MomsRising explains what’s happening and how you can take action to stop the health care price hikes in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer surv...
Premiums for Affordable Care Act plans are set to skyrocket next year, because Congress has failed to act. A new White House health care plan was rumored but not released yet. Charles Gaba from ACASignups.net explains what’s happening to the Affordable Care Act in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health ...
The government in America is back open, but our health insurance costs are still set to dramatically increase next year. Alex Lawson from Social Security Works explains why and what happens now in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org and Diane Archer from Just Care answer...
Over the weekend, 60 Senators voted to end the Federal Shutdown. What happens next? How might it impact healthcare? Margarida Jorge from Health Care for America Now is here to discuss in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org and Rachel Madley from Center for H...
Several states have set up prescription drug affordability boards to help lower drug prices. Colorado just became the first state to cap the price of a prescription drug, Enbrel. What happens next? Our guest Vinny DeMarco from Maryland Health Care For All is here to discuss in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health ...
Because there is no agreement on government funding, the American government has shut down. How will this affect our care? What happens next? Our guest Laura Rodriguez of Center for American Progress is here to discuss in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org ...
Is our government about to shut down? Why? What happens next? How is our health care at stake? Our guest Anne Shoup of Protect Our Care is here to discuss in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host & cancer survivor Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org and Diane Archer of Just ...
What’s happening to veterans’ health care with changes at the VA under the new administration? Our guest Allison Gill of The Daily Beans Podcast Mueller She Wrote is a veteran and worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs for over a decade. In this #CareTalk episode Dr. Gill talks about how VA health care works, and changes that veterans should know about with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate with show host &...
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to release the causes of autism this month. Our guest Jessica Steier DrPH of Unbiased Science just wrote a New York Times article about one of the most damaging myths in public health. She’s here to talk about how vaccines do not cause autism, and why this fake news keeps being spread.
Read the full essay with this guest link: https://nyti.ms/3UUNrIp
In May, the Trump administration and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released the first Make America Healthy Again report, “Make Our Children Healthy Again”, on chronic diseases and children. A new draft report on strategies to fight chronic illness in kids was leaked but not officially released yet. In this #CareTalk episode, health care expert Miranda Yaver PhD of Defend Public Health talks about the new draft MAHA report, and wh...
A grassroots organization of health professionals called “Defend Public Health” has released a new report on the root causes of illness in the United States. In this #CareTalk episode, health care expert Elizabeth Jacobs of Defend Public Health talks about how to get beyond false, flawed and fundamentally incorrect interpretations of science, medicine, and disease outcomes to improve our health with evidence-based public health pol...
The Big Ugly Bill makes a lot of changes to America’s health care system over the next several years. In this #CareTalk episode, health care expert Rachel Madley of Center for Health & Democracy explains what changes are coming to your health care, and when those changes will happen with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
Read Rachel's detailed timeline on Substack: ht...
Massachusetts is the home of RomneyCare, which originally inspired the Affordable Care Act. In this #CareTalk episode, health care expert Alex Sheff of Health Care For All Massachusetts shares what we can learn about making health more affordable and available with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices.
New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podca...
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