Code WACK! artwork

Code WACK!

222 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 14 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratings

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.

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Episodes

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

April 29, 2024 12:30 - 17 minutes - 20.6 MB

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...

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

April 23, 2024 12:30 - 16 minutes - 13.4 MB

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 t...

Simplicity, savings & equity? The single-payer solution

April 15, 2024 12:30 - 17 minutes - 19.6 MB

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 Justi...

What's at stake in 2024? Your health care

April 08, 2024 12:30 - 10 minutes - 11.3 MB

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 st...

How California’s latest single-payer bill would revolutionize health care

April 01, 2024 12:30 - 14 minutes - 15.5 MB

This time on Code WACK!  Once again, a new single-payer bill, AB 2200 or CalCare, sponsored by the California Nurses Association, has been introduced in the California state legislature. How will it help save lives? Will it break the bank, or will it save us money? What’s different about this version of the bill and what kind of support does it have in the state legislature?    To find out, we spoke to Assemblyman Ash Kalra. As a longstanding champion of single-payer health care, Ass...

Forced pregnancies and racial bias: A deadly combination?

March 25, 2024 12:30 - 15 minutes - 17.4 MB

This time on Code WACK!    Besides the Alabama IVF decision, how else are reproductive rights being rolled back in America? Why are some states going after emergency contraception known as the morning-after pill? What policy solutions are needed to better protect reproductive rights? To find out, we spoke to Vina Smith-Ramakrishnan, a fellow at The Century Foundation, where she works on issues related to maternal health and reproductive rights and justice. Vina’s work supports The Cent...

Is 'fetal personhood' coming to your state?

March 18, 2024 12:30 - 18 minutes - 20.9 MB

This time on Code WACK! Where are we today when it comes to reproductive rights in America? And what does the latest IVF case in Alabama mean for reproductive justice and healthcare equity in America?  To find out, we spoke to Vina Smith-Ramakrishnan, a fellow at The Century Foundation, where she works on issues related to maternal health and reproductive rights and justice. Vina’s work supports The Century Foundation’s efforts to eliminate racial and gender disparities in health outcome...

What's fueling America's dreadful nursing home care

March 11, 2024 13:30 - 11 minutes - 11.5 MB

This time on Code WACK!  Are regulations meant to protect nursing home residents being enforced? How is understaffing at the California Dept of Public Health affecting nursing home regulation?  Are for-profit and nonprofit nursing homes comparable when it comes to the quality of care residents receive? What reforms are in the works to better protect residents? To find out, we spoke to Tony Chicotel, senior staff attorney at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, or CANHR, where he...

'A race to the bottom:' How U.S. nursing homes are failing us

March 04, 2024 13:13 - 18 minutes - 18.5 MB

This time on Code WACK!    The COVID pandemic devastated nursing homes and other long-term care facilities highlighting the need for major reforms. What are the policies behind the often dismal performance of the nursing home industry? What policy changes have been made so far and why are nursing home residents still so vulnerable?  To find out, we spoke to Tony Chicotel, senior staff attorney at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, or CANHR, where he promotes the rights of re...

How Medicare ACOs restrict care and offer dangerous incentives

February 26, 2024 13:00 - 19 minutes - 21.6 MB

This time on Code WACK!    Why is tying a medical provider’s pay to the outcomes of their patients a bad idea? Why else should we be concerned about Accountable Care Organizations and the privatization of traditional Medicare?  To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ana Malinow,  who spent three decades working as a pediatrician with immigrant, refugee and underserved children before retiring as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. ...

'You're not safe': How middlemen are corrupting traditional Medicare

February 19, 2024 13:30 - 19 minutes - 21.3 MB

This time on Code WACK!    You've probably heard about the dangers of Medicare Advantage, but did you know that traditional Medicare is being privatized too? How is this corrupting our healthcare system even more and what does this mean for patients?   To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ana Malinow,  who spent three decades working as a pediatrician with immigrant, refugee and underserved children in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, and California before retiring as Clinical Professor of Pediatr...

'Nothing about us without us!' The trans community fights back

February 12, 2024 13:00 - 17 minutes - 19.4 MB

This time on Code WACK!  Some states are making it easier for trans and non-binary individuals to get gender-affirming care but in other states, a record number of laws have been passed to outlaw  – or limit – such care. What kind of toll does this take on people in the trans community, their doctors and their advocates?  What policy solutions are needed to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender identity, has access to the medical care they need? To find out, we spoke to Ash Orr, a t...

Transgender denied! Healthcare stigma & discrimination in rural America

February 05, 2024 13:30 - 17 minutes - 19.5 MB

This time on Code WACK!  What unique challenges do transgender individuals face when it comes to accessing health care - especially in rural America? Why is gender affirming care considered potentially life saving for trans and nonbinary individuals? How do inaccessible health care, employment discrimination and medical mistreatment intersect for trans people? To find out, we spoke to Ash Orr, a trans organizer from West Virginia and press relations manager for the National Center for Tr...

A life-saving Rx for Skid Row? Methadone, harm reduction & reparations

January 29, 2024 13:30 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MB

This time on Code WACK!   What can be done about the fentanyl crisis on Los Angeles’ Skid Row that disproportionately affects Black residents? What policy solutions are needed? In light of the historical evidence of racial disparities in the criminal justice and healthcare systems, should reparations be considered?   To find out, we spoke to Nyabingi Kuti, director of the LA Harm Reduction Network. Harm reduction, an evidence-based public health approach,  focuses on reducing harmful...

From Hollywood to Skid Row: What's behind LA County's ballooning overdose deaths?

January 22, 2024 13:10 - 12 minutes - 11 MB

This time on Code WACK!  More than 3,000 people died of drug overdoses in Los Angeles County alone in 2022 and last October, Hollywood actor Matthew Perry, of “Friends” fame, became one of the latest overdose victims when he accidentally died of acute effects of ketamine at his Los Angeles home.  Perry's story reminds us that no one is immune to drug overdoses, but who are the most vulnerable in LA County and why? How do poverty, homelessness and mental health issues intersect with addic...

Can we stem the tide of healthcare inflation?

January 15, 2024 13:00 - 15 minutes - 16.3 MB

This time on Code WACK!    Can California’s new Office of Health Care Affordability stem the rising tide of healthcare inflation? Are similar efforts to rein in healthcare costs happening in other states? And what does the creation of the Office mean about the chance for single-payer, Medicare for All in the Golden State?   To find out we spoke to Ian Lewis, the policy director for Unite Here Local 2, a union of over 15,000 hospitality workers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ian previ...

A new sheriff in town? How one state is fighting high healthcare costs

January 08, 2024 13:00 - 16 minutes - 17.2 MB

This time on Code WACK!   The New Year is ringing in higher health care premiums while U.S. life expectancy continues to fall. Despite spending more on health care than any other country, we don’t seem to be getting much bang for our bucks! For instance, in 2023 American men can expect to live to age 73 while Frenchmen can expect to live to age 80 - nearly 10% longer!  What’s the link between lower life expectancy and high healthcare costs? And what can we do to about it? To find out...

Why millions of Americans seek health care abroad, despite the risks

January 01, 2024 13:00 - 17 minutes - 19.2 MB

This time on Code WACK!   In honor of more than 200 podcast episodes and the New Year, we’re running one of our oldies but goodies about the medical tourism phenomenon -  Need surgery but your $7,000 deductible is in the way?  How about major dental care that your insurance doesn't even begin to adequately cover?  Could you save by going to another country for treatment? The skyrocketing cost of care and rising insurance premiums are driving some Americans to seek affordable health c...

'Absolutely bonkers': The hassles doctors face in treating patients

December 25, 2023 13:00 - 17 minutes - 19 MB

This time on Code WACK!   Patients aren’t the only people who are frustrated with our current healthcare system. So are doctors! Why?  And why doesn’t free market capitalism work with health care? To find out, we spoke to award-winning filmmaker Maddy Purves, who is editor of the documentary Healing US narrated by Susan Sarandon, and Laura Fielding, founder of Red Berets for Medicare for All and associate producer of Healing US. This is the second episode in a two-part series.    

Healing US: Uniting across the political spectrum to save lives?

December 18, 2023 13:00 - 15 minutes - 18.1 MB

This time on Code WACK! How did the new documentary Healing US, about the drawbacks of America’s for-profit healthcare system, get made? Which harrowing stories did they highlight? When Americans need health care, why do so many worry whether they can afford to be treated? For answers to these questions and more, we spoke to award-winning documentary filmmaker Maddy Purves, who is editor of the film, and Laura Fielding, founder of Red Berets for Medicare for All and associate producer of...

A ‘village of support’: Changing the game for Black expectant parents

December 11, 2023 13:00 - 16 minutes - 18.6 MB

This time on Code WACK! How can we, as a society, better support Black expectant parents and their babies in light of how vulnerable they are to dying in America? And what root causes must be addressed do this most effectively?  To find out, we spoke to Melissa Franklin, the first Black director of Maternal Child and Adolescent Health for LA County’s Department of Public Health. Dr. Franklin is a system transformation leader with over 25 years of experience in organizational development,...

Abundance, joy & dignity. Healing the Black birth experience

December 04, 2023 13:00 - 13 minutes - 15 MB

  This time on Code WACK!   Why are Black people so vulnerable to maternal and infant mortality  - and what’s being done about it? What will the closing of a maternity ward in South Los Angeles County – a trend happening around the country – mean for local residents there?   To find out, we spoke to Melissa Franklin, EdD, MBA, the first Black director of Maternal Child and Adolescent Health for LA County’s Department of Public Health. Dr. Franklin is a systems transformation leader...

Money, money, money! The politics of funding single payer

November 27, 2023 13:00 - 15 minutes - 17 MB

This time on Code WACK!   What are the main obstacles in implementing a new law paving the way to Medicare for All in California? Where does the biggest opposition lie – and what’s at stake if the law doesn’t fulfill its mission? How is the 2024 election key to our healthcare future? To find out, we spoke to Irene Kao,  executive director of Courage California, a progressive grassroots advocacy organization.  She’s also a board member of the single payer advocacy coalition Healthy Cali...

Fed up with profit-driven health care? New law puts patients first.

November 20, 2023 13:30 - 15 minutes - 16.7 MB

This time on Code WACK!   What kind of a healthcare system could actually promote equity? How does a new bill recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom get California closer to universal, single-payer health care? And how is it different from previous Medicare-for-All bills?    To find out, we spoke to Irene Kao, executive director of Courage California, a progressive grassroots advocacy organization for which she’s the first woman of color to lead.  She’s also a board member of the H...

Fighting the Medicare Advantage scourge

November 12, 2023 13:00 - 13 minutes - 14.9 MB

This time on Code WACK!   What can be done in light of Medicare Advantage overcharging taxpayers to the tune of around $140 billion a year? What’s the Medigap Trap and why should you worry about it?  Why should we work to improve traditional Medicare while pursuing Medicare for All? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart, the national board secretary for Physicians for a National Health Program and president of the Consumers Council of Missouri. Check out the Transcript and Show ...

Four Ways Medicare Advantage is ripping you off

November 06, 2023 12:00 - 14 minutes - 16 MB

This time on Code WACK!   Medicare Advantage is overcharging the federal government – and you won’t believe by how much! How’s this affecting taxpayers like you and me and what can be done about it?   To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart, the national board secretary for Physicians for a National Health Program and president of the Consumers Council of Missouri.  

Stranded: Throwing a lifeline to the millions losing Medicaid

October 30, 2023 12:00 - 14 minutes - 15.6 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! We're taking a closer look at what the millions of people being kicked off Medicaid can do about it. What’s being done to help them? And what else could we do to make sure people don't get stranded without health insurance coverage?  To find out, we spoke to Loretta Alexander, who recently retired as the health policy director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Ms. Alexander has over 40 years of experience in health care. This is the second e...

Millions of Americans lost in the Medicaid purge

October 23, 2023 12:00 - 16 minutes - 17.8 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! Now that COVID protections have ended, what does that mean for the millions of people getting booted off Medicaid in the country? Where does that leave our nation’s most vulnerable, including children and people with chronic diseases or mental health issues?  To find out, we spoke to Loretta Alexander, health policy director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Ms. Alexander has over 40 years of experience in health care. This is the first episode in a...

Indian Health Service: A broken promise?

October 16, 2023 12:00 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! 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. Chec...

Enduring Inequalities: Health Care in America's Indigenous Communities

October 09, 2023 12:02 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, we’re examining healthcare inequities in Native communities. What challenges do they face when it comes to accessing quality health care in America? What problems could they encounter when they get their care through the Indian Health Service, the principal federal health care provider to American Indians and Alaska Natives?  To find out, we spoke with Elder Billie Tohee, acting executive director of the National Indian Council...

Meet the Wall Street darlings ruining our health care

October 02, 2023 12:00 - 18 minutes - 41.2 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK! How did UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest health insurer by revenue, make billions in profit in the second quarter of 2023? How do UnitedHealth Group, CVS and Cigna control 80 percent of the drug supply market -- and why should we be concerned?  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 Democra...

Inclusion, Independence & Dignity: Health care & people with disabilities

September 25, 2023 12:00 - 13 minutes - 14.9 MB

This time on Code WACK! What policy solutions are needed to help people with disabilities get and keep quality health care - and which policies may do more harm than good?  What would a Medicare for All system mean to this community?  To find out, we spoke to Angela Gardner, a disability rights advocate who lives in the Los Angeles area. Angela is also a board member of Healthy California Now representing Hand in Hand, which fights for access to home care and disability justice, among ot...

No place at the policy table? Failing those most in need

September 18, 2023 12:00 - 14 minutes - 16 MB

This time on Code WACK! What challenges do people living with disabilities face when it comes to accessing quality health care? And are they being included in decisions about health policies that affect them? To find out, we spoke with Angela Gardner, a disability rights advocate who lives in the Los Angeles area. Her work focuses on helping people with disabilities in the areas of employment, education, healthcare, services and support to live independently in the community. This i...

SAG-AFTRA on strike: the Hollywood hustle in the age of AI

September 11, 2023 12:00 - 17 minutes - 14.4 MB

This time on CodeWACK!   What’s the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike about and what’s at stake for actors? Plus, what could the ongoing strike mean for their health care? To find out, we spoke to Pat Finn, a Los Angeles-based actor who has worked in Hollywood for more than 25 years. He’s appeared in such shows as Seinfeld, Friends, Drew Carey, and Murphy Brown and in movies such as It’s Complicated opposite Meryl Streep. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Hostages to health care? The American workers' dilemma

September 04, 2023 12:00 - 15 minutes - 12.8 MB

This time on Code WACK!     In honor of Labor Day, we're looking at the trade-offs some workers face in order to have health care. What choices are families forced to make when they can't afford to insure everyone?  To find out, we spoke to Rose Roach, chair of Healthcare for All Minnesota and national coordinator for the Labor Campaign for Single Payer. She recently retired as the executive director of the Minnesota Nurses Association.    Check out the Transcript and Show Notes ...

Minnesota's taking on corporate health care -- and winning!

August 28, 2023 12:00 - 16 minutes - 14.1 MB

This time on Code WACK!   How is Minnesota on the front lines of healthcare reform? What gains has the state legislature made when it comes to busting dangerous corporate healthcare mergers and moving closer to Medicare for All? To find out, we spoke to Rose Roach, chair of Healthcare for All Minnesota and national coordinator for the Labor Campaign for Single Payer. She recently retired as the executive director of the Minnesota Nurses Association.  Check out the Transcript and Show...

Profits over people? There's an algorithm for that.

August 21, 2023 12:00 - 16 minutes - 12.9 MB

THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   How are corporate health insurers using artificial intelligence to step up their claims’ denials? And what’s being done to out some of the bad actors in Medicare Advantage?    To find out, we spoke to Diane Archer, founder and president of Just Care USA, an independent digital media hub covering health and financial issues facing boomers and their families. Miss Archer is the past chair of the Board of Consumer Reports, currently serves as a senior advisor a...

Delays, denials & death: The Medicare Advantage Scam

August 14, 2023 12:00 - 16 minutes - 10.8 MB

This time on Code WACK!     How do Medicare Advantage plans use pre-authorizations and claim denials to maximize their profits at the expense of senior citizen’s lives? And how are health insurers getting away with this?    To find out, we spoke to Diane Archer, founder and president of Just Care USA, an independent digital media hub covering health and financial issues facing boomers and their families. Miss Archer is the past chair of the Board of Consumer Reports, currently serves...

'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' & other healthcare myths

August 07, 2023 12:00 - 15 minutes - 12.7 MB

This time on Code WACK!  How does the way health insurance works discourage patients from seeking care in the first place? What other challenges do physical therapists face when dealing with a variety of insurance plans and regulations?  To find out, we spoke to Ariel Wynne, a physical therapist and board certified pelvic health clinical specialist in Chicago. Ariel recently opened her clinic, Ground Floor Physical Therapy, which specializes exclusively in pelvic floor physical therapy f...

Does your health insurance cover physical therapy? Kind of, maybe.

July 31, 2023 12:00 - 15 minutes - 12.7 MB

This time on Code WACK!   Despite the proven value of physical therapy, what health insurance hassles do physical therapists and their patients face today? Why are patient costs all over the place? To find out, we spoke to Ariel Wynne, a physical therapist and board certified pelvic health clinical specialist in Chicago. Ariel recently opened her clinic, Ground Floor Physical Therapy which specializes exclusively in pelvic floor physical therapy for all genders. What can patients do t...

Winning an equitable abortion landscape

July 24, 2023 12:30 - 17 minutes - 14.7 MB

This time on Code WACK! How have health clinics that perform abortions been affected by the reversal of Roe vs. Wade one year ago? What kind of legal challenges have there been to individual states' limitations on abortion since then?  To find out, we spoke with Cat Duffy, a policy analyst in the National Health Law Program’s Washington DC office. She holds a doctorate and works on reproductive and sexual healthcare access and services with a particular focus on abortion coverage and acc...

One woman’s struggle for care in America's South, without Medicaid

July 17, 2023 12:00 - 13 minutes - 10.7 MB

This time on Code WACK! Now that the COVID health emergency has ended and millions of Americans are losing Medicaid coverage, we’re thinking about the nearly two million Americans who never got it in the first place because their state did not adopt the Medicaid expansion back in 2014. How did this affect them?  To find out, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes about radio personality and performance artist,  Eliska Hahn, who was struggling with multiple sclerosis while living...

Burnout is wearing doctors down. Could Medicare for All help?

July 10, 2023 12:30 - 14 minutes - 15.8 MB

This time on Code WACK!   What are the most common concerns of doctors about Medicare for All? Would reforming America's broken healthcare system improve - or worsen - doctors’ lives? How does the focus on corporate profits impact doctors’ experience?    To find out, we spoke to Dr. David Leibowitz, hematologist-oncologist and past chair of Physicians for a National Health Program - California, a non-partisan voluntary organization that supports equitable access to high quality healt...

Saving the American Economy with Single Payer: A Second Look

July 03, 2023 12:31 - 12 minutes - 10.6 MB

This time on Code WACK! This Independence Day we’re thinking about freedom to pursue our dreams. The high cost of health care makes it difficult or impossible for Americans to afford higher education, or retirement, and the impact on business is severe too, as employers struggle to afford health care for their workers.    Thirteen years after the Affordable Care Act passed, health care in America is still marked by inequity and spiraling costs. Could single payer free us to pursue our ...

'Mass uncertainty:' America's abortion landscape in the post-Dobbs era

June 26, 2023 12:30 - 15 minutes - 13.2 MB

This time on Code WACK! It’s been one year now since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling, and reversed five decades of legal precedent. The Dobbs v Jackson decision returned the power to regulate abortion to individual states. What has that meant for abortion access in America?  To find out, we spoke to Cat Duffy, a policy analyst in the National Health Law Program’s Washington, DC office. She holds a doctorate and works on reproductive and sexual healthcare acc...

When a healthy pregnancy turns deadly. The story of April Valentine.

June 19, 2023 12:30 - 16 minutes - 6.72 MB

This time on Code WACK! April Valentine knew that Black women were more likely to die from a pregnancy or child-related cause -- and tried to beat the odds with careful research, preparation and a supportive birthing team. So why did the 31-year-old die at an L.A.- area hospital while in labor with her baby girl? To find out, we spoke to April’s doula, Stanis Askew, who works with Frontline Doulas, a perinatal health program that connects Black families with Black doulas. While the incid...

Unheard: Pain, denial & the Black birth experience

June 12, 2023 12:00 - 13 minutes - 5.6 MB

This time on Code WACK! What exactly is a doula and how does it differ from a midwife? How can doulas support those who are most likely to die from giving birth?  To find out, we spoke to Stanis Askew, a full spectrum doula in Southern California who helps families from conception until after birth. She works with Frontline Doulas, a perinatal health program connecting Black families with Black doulas, and is passionate about elevating the Black birth experience. Check out the Show ...

Sex, stigma & the 'murderous logic' of the healthcare industry

June 05, 2023 12:30 - 15 minutes - 12.9 MB

This time on Code WACK! In honor of pride month, we’re examining the pivotal role the LGBTQ community has played in advocating for healthcare reform. Is it just a coincidence that most of California's single-payer bills have been introduced by lawmakers in the LGBTQ community? How can we further galvanize the community around this life-saving issue?  To find out, we spoke with Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now Coalition, and former constituency director for Berni...

'Silence = Death:' What single-payer advocates can learn from AIDS activists

May 29, 2023 12:00 - 20 minutes - 17.1 MB

In honor of Pride month, we’re examining LGBTQ activism in health care. How did the HIV/AIDS crisis devastate the community and what pushed many members toward militant activism? What can the 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!  

The shocking influence of skin color on health care

May 22, 2023 12:00 - 14 minutes - 9.9 MB

This time on Code WACK!   Why do Black women have a 5-year mortality risk from endometrial cancer that’s 90 percent higher than White women? Is it about race or racism – and what can we do about it?  To find out, we spoke with Dr. Diljeet Singh, a women’s health advocate and integrative gynecologic oncologist who has practiced for nearly 25 years. She’s also the vice president of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for Medicare for All.   Check out the Transcr...