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This time on Code WACK! 

What’s at stake in health care with the upcoming federal election? Would Donald Trump really try to repeal the Affordable Care Act - again? Would Kamala Harris continue fighting to rein in the skyrocketing cost of medicine? What will be the fate of Biden-era policies like enhanced tax credits limiting the cost of health insurance premiums? Or access to reproductive health care (including contraception)?

With so much up in the air, how is Families USA, a leading national, non-partisan voice for healthcare consumers, responding? To find out, we spoke to Anthony Wright, Families USA’s new executive director. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK! 

The fight for affordable, accessible health care in the U.S. has gone on for decades. Who’s in the fight to win solutions that improve health care for everyone? What policies are they working on? 

Today we’re featuring the Washington DC-based Families USA, a leading national nonpartisan voice for healthcare consumers.  We welcome their new executive director, Anthony Wright, who previously served for 22 years as executive director of Health Access California. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Anthony Wright. 

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK! 

What are lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission doing about Pharmacy Benefit Managers and their undue influence over drug prices and access? Who is watching out for consumers when the pharmaceutical industry pursues self-serving arrangements? And what’s the impact on independent pharmacies and their patients?

To find out, we recently interviewed Hannah Garden-Monheit, the FTC’s director of the Office of Policy Planning. Prior to joining the FTC, Garden-Monheit worked at the National Economic Council (NEC), where she served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director for Competition Council Policy. At the NEC, she was extensively involved in shaping the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and much more. This is the second episode in a two part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

So you might have heard the term pharmacy benefit managers – or PBMs – in the news. But what are they? How did these middlemen get to be so powerful? How are they causing drug prices to skyrocket? And what’s the Federal Trade Commission doing about it? 

To find out, we recently interviewed Hannah Garden-Monheit, the FTC’s director of the Office of Policy Planning. Prior to joining the FTC, Garden-Monheit worked at the National Economic Council (NEC), where she served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director for Competition Council Policy. At the NEC, she was extensively involved in shaping the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and much more. This is the first episode in a two part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

As the United States faces an election possibly  unlike any other in our history, we wonder about the future of our healthcare system. What changes might we expect under President Trump, or President Harris? What would a new administration mean for single-payer efforts in states like California and Oregon? And what about Medicare, a lifeline for so many vulnerable Americans?

To find out we spoke to the one and only Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition and former healthcare constituency director for Bernie 2020.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

What’s been happening on the healthcare front since California Senate Bill 770, which paves the way for a single-payer healthcare system, was passed last year? What’s the process and the timeline? What are the necessary next steps to winning single payer in the Golden State and why is it so important to achieving healthcare equity? 

To find out we spoke to the one and only Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition and former healthcare constituency director for Bernie 2020.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

How far did one man have to go to get the health insurance he needed to cover a specialized surgery in another state? Despite jumping through many hoops to even qualify to buy the coverage he needed, why did he still end up paying tens of thousands of dollars in out of pocket costs? How much would you be willing to pay for the freedom to consult the doctor of your choice?

We recently spoke to Rand, a commercial property manager, writer and father of three in Southern California who shared the formidable health and insurance challenges that he’s faced with us. Rand asked that we not use his last name for this interview.  This is the second of a two-part series with Rand.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

Imagine having to fight with your HMO insurer about compensating your surgeon who doesn't belong to your provider network, but happens to be a specialist in a particular procedure that you want because it has fewer side effects. Could you afford to cough up a few thousand dollars to pay the surgeon while hassling with your HMO? But the story doesn't end there. What if you then needed a followup procedure that is relatively new but has a 98% chance of a positive outcome? But the surgeon you want - who invented it - is not in your state, never mind your network?

We recently spoke to Rand, a commercial property manager, writer and father of three in Southern California who shared the formidable health and insurance challenges that he’s faced with us. Rand asked that we not use his last name for this interview.  This is the first of a two-part series with Rand.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

Why did California’s latest single payer bill fail and what can we do about it? How can the public learn the truth about how much they could save with unified financing when deep-pocketed corporations keep lobbying legislators against it? What will it take to make Medicare for All a reality once and for all? 

To find out, we asked Jodi Reid,  executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans or CARA, California’s largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the second of a two-part series with Jodi.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on Code WACK!

Why is long term care, including in-home health care, in crisis? How are skyrocketing costs affecting patients? How come two-thirds of people in California who are getting in-home health care get it from family members who are often unpaid?  Would universal long term care - or a single-payer system with unified financing - help?  

 To find out, we spoke to Jodi Reid, executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans, California’s largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. She has more than four decades of organizing experience on issues ranging from health care to housing. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. This is the first of a two-part series with Jodi about long-term care.

Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!