We all know a good night's sleep can make a world of difference, but you may not realize just how integral sleep is to your overall health—or that there is a whole field of medicine devoted to the subject. 

During this Fight Back episode, we speak with renowned sleep expert Dr. Rafael Pelayo, who talks with us about how important sleep is to our health. Dr. Pelayo is a clinical professor at the Sleep Medicine division of the Dep...

Fight Back! talks with Peter Lee, Executive Director for California’s health insurance marketplace, Covered California. In his role, Mr. Lee oversees the planning, development, and administration of Covered California and its efforts to improve the affordability and accessibility of quality healthcare for all Californians.

In our conversation, Peter provides valuable insight into the many facets of the Covered California program, in...

Lifestyle Medicine focuses on educating and motivating patients to change personal habits and behaviors around using a whole food, plant-predominant dietary lifestyle, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection.

We discuss this topic with lifestyle medicine expert Dr. Cate Collings, Director of Lifestyle Medicine at El Camino Hospital and President o...

Fight Back is switching things up in our first episode of 2021. For this episode, our host, Steve Poizner, is in the hot seat, discussing what led to the launch of the Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation and the Fight Back podcast, sharing some of the podcast's most memorable moments, and looking forward to 2021. It's a year in review—and a year to look forward to!

You'll also meet Fight Back co-producers Robert Molnar...

Latest reports indicate that COVID-19 cases are on the rise throughout the U.S., and many warn of more difficult days to come with the onset of winter. Throughout the pandemic, leaders have indicated that getting the pandemic under control hinges on creating and distributing a vaccine. 

But now that the first of the vaccines are rolling out to the public, consumers want answers to several pressing questions: how were these vaccines ...

Let's take a quick course in Pharmacy 101 with special guest Debby Johnson, a third-generation pharmacist and former President of the California Pharmacist Association. We'll dive into important topics related to the world of pharmacy, including the importance of having your prescriptions at one pharmacy, the dangers of drug interactions, the differences between brand name and generic medicines, and the pharmacist's spe...

In this episode, we discuss alternative health systems: different ways to deliver healthcare to patients, and how states, nonprofit organizations, and even companies—like Whole Foods—have implemented unique concepts to enable better and cheaper healthcare options for consumers.

Our guest is Sean Flynn, Assistant Professor of Economics at Scripps College. He is the author of Economics for Dummies, which has now been translated into s...

While COVID-19 cases explode anew across the world, and America struggles with its next steps, Taiwan's national response has proven to be an important case study for world leaders.
  
 With a population of 23 million, Taiwan has reported only 550 cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths. How did they do this? 
  
We talk with Dr. Wen Chiu, former Taiwanese Minister of Health and Welfare (2011 – 2014), about how Taiwan learned valuable l...

As we enter the fall and winter months, and as cases begin surging again across the country and world, we provide an update on all things COVID-19.

From testing and tracing to the progress the medical community has made developing therapeutics and vaccines to what you and your loved ones can do to protect yourself against the next wave, we will discuss it all with our special guest, Dr. Bob Wachter, MD, Professor and Chair of the De...

Can we eliminate prescription narcotics, even after spinal surgery? It might sound far-fetched, but that is just one of the promises of Holistic Medicine. In this episode, orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Hooman Melamed joins Fight Back as our special guest. Dr. Melamed is an outspoken advocate of holistic and integrated medicine, the idea that we need to address all aspects of our health for our bodies to be in optimal condition. We d...

Fight Back discusses the important and timely topic of health equity. "Health equity" means that everyone has a fair and equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Many factors impact a person's health, including poverty, access to good jobs, education, and housing, to name a few. Health equity advocates have emerged in response to challenges that people of color face while seeking and securing needed treatments fr...

America is living through a time of unprecedented demographic change. In the last twenty years, the segment of our population over the age of 65 has increased from 6% to 9%. According to estimates, those over 65 will comprise 17% of the population by 2050. At 65, individuals can join the Medicare healthcare system. But Medicare is complicated, and for many who are about to or have recently turned 65, they face many choices and daun...

There are many reasons why we should pay attention to what we eat. The processed, low-variety foods many of us consume regularly may be convenient and tasty, but they compromise our health. We especially need to pay attention to what we eat when we are sick so we can give our bodies the nutrients it needs to heal. And if you want to be even more deliberate in improving health—perhaps to address a chronic disease or condition—a holi...

Health insurance is critical for individuals and families. When you suddenly lose your health insurance, because of COVID-19 or any other reason, it can feel overwhelming and difficult to determine where to start and what to do. Fortunately, there are many options available. Jenn Moore, Health Net’s chief commercial officer, joins us to talk about how to navigate this complicated and challenging process. For nearly 20 years, Jenn h...

In this episode, Fight Back covers the critically important topic of advanced healthcare directives, a legal document that addresses such end-of-life issues as “do not resuscitate” orders, treatment options, healthcare proxies, and more. In this emotionally powerful conversation, we hear from Kristen, whose husband J.J. was diagnosed with brain cancer at just 34 years old and given a few months to live. With the help of J.J.’s adva...

Most often, healthcare consumers do not know the real cost of health services. Whether it is a bed in a hospital, a prescription drug, or a procedure like an MRI, the price is usually buried beneath government regulations, insurance forms, and confusing terminology.

In this episode, we first hear from John about how a recent brief hospital visit to deal with kidney stones turned into a $20,000 surprise. Fortunately, his insurance pa...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult for healthcare patients to obtain their routine, everyday care. We hear from Diannah, whose young son has Cystic Fibrosis. Her family turned to telemedicine to consult with their physicians and meet their medical needs. Barry Jantz, head of the Grossmont Healthcare District in San Diego, will then join us.  Barry explains how the Grossmont Hospital has worked to provide patients and the...

Mental Illness Challenges in America: A discussion with NAMI CA Executive Director Jessica Cruz.

Millions of Americans are affected by severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, mood disorders, and also everyday mental health challenges such as anxiety and stress. 

Today, we will discuss the issues surrounding these illnesses and provide valuable information and resources. First, we'll hear from John and how...