This time on Code WACK!

Imagine watching your mom suffer a stroke and two seizures that left her unable to use her right side… and then having her Medicare Advantage health insurer deny coverage for the nursing home care she desperately needs.

Now imagine learning that the decision to deny her coverage may have been based on artificial intelligence (AI) instead of clinical observation by a qualified medical professional!

Here to share this shocking personal story is Jeremy White, author of InHumana: An American Healthcare Story, published by White Lines Press. Jeremy and his wife, Edie, founded the award-winning satirical publication Red Shtick Magazine - and its online version, The Red Shtick. They live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near Jeremy's mother. This is the first episode of a two-part series with Jeremy about his new book.

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How do health insurance hassles like denials and preauthorizations exacerbate inequities in our broken healthcare system? How do they rob physicians of precious time caring for patients and even jeopardize their practices? And why are some big insurance companies buying up physician practices?

To find out, we recently spoke with Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart, a private practice orthopedic surgeon in northern New Jersey. Harvard-trained in biomedical engineering with an MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins, Dr. Urquhart is the author of the forthcoming book The Invisible Hand Wielding the Scalpel: Paying the Price in America's Fractured Healthcare System. This is the second episode of a two-part series..

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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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 Urquhart, a private practice orthopedic surgeon in northern New Jersey. A Harvard-trained biomedical engineer with an MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins, Dr. Urquhart is the author of the forthcoming book The Invisible Hand Wielding the Scalpel: Paying the Price in America's Fractured Healthcare System.

This is the first episode of a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

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, we spoke with Rachel Madley, director of policy and advocacy at the Center for Health and Democracy. She previously served as health policy advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Having struggled personally with a chronic medical condition, Rachel shares her firsthand experience staying alive despite America's cruel healthcare system. This is the second episode of a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

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?

To find out, we spoke with Rachel Madley, director of policy and advocacy at the Center for Health and Democracy. She previously served as health policy advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Having struggled personally with a chronic medical condition, Rachel shares her firsthand experience staying alive despite America's cruel healthcare system. This is the first episode of a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

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? To find out, we spoke to Jennifer Wells, director of Economic Justice at Community Change Action, where she leads the organization's work to advance policies and practices that improve the material conditions of low-income communities. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

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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 director of economic justice at Community Change Action , where she leads the organization's work to advance policies and practices that improve the material conditions of low-income communities. Over recent years, she has earned recognition as the 2020 Marshall University Commencement Speaker, 2020 TEDx Speaker, and 2018 National Association of Social Workers West Virginia Chapter's Social Worker of the Year. This is the first of two episodes with Jennifer Wells.

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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: experiencing disability isn't as rare or improbable as we'd like to think.

That's why this fight for health care is about all of us, our families, our neighbors, and our future. From hospital care to home-based services to keeping rural clinics alive, Medicaid is a pillar of our healthcare system, and when it's weakened, entire communities feel the impact. So what happens when that pillar is damaged? We recently spoke to Andy Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights California, and policy analyst Sabrina Epstein. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Disability Rights California.

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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 Disability Rights California, Executive Director Andy Imparato and Policy Analyst Sabrina Epstein, who have been working to track the bill's impact and fight for the rights of those with disabilities across the state. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Disability Rights California.

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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, poorly maintained housing stock in several areas, and where we've seen some of the highest incidences of lead poisoning in the country. So why hasn't the state legislature passed the Lead Paint Right to Know Act, a bill that could help protect families from this entirely preventable harm?

To learn more, we recently spoke with Shannon Burkett, a New York mother whose son Cooper was diagnosed with lead poisoning as an infant in 2008. Shannon is also the writer, producer, and editor of the podcast LEAD: How This Story Ends Is Up to Us. Both Shannon, a registered nurse, and Cooper, now 18, have been powerful voices in the fight to end lead poisoning.

This is the second episode in a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.