This time on Code WACK! 

What if California, Oregon, and Washington joined forces to win federal approval for universal, single-payer healthcare? Could a united West Coast shift the balance of power in America’s healthcare debate? 

To find out, we recently spoke with Michael Lighty, president of the single payer advocacy coalition Healthy California Now. Michael ’s a founding fellow of the Sanders Institute, and he was healthcare constituency director for the Bernie 2020 campaign. Most recently, he co-wrote and was a leader in the successful campaign to enact California’s Senate Bill 770, a critical step toward negotiating the federal waivers the Golden State needs to build a universal, publicly financed healthcare system.

Join us as we explore how these three states are moving to collaborate toward a common goal — and why this could be a game-changer for patients, politics, and policy nationwide.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK! 

Why are some Americans choosing to go off the health insurance grid? For Lani Gonzales, entrepreneur and hypnotherapist, it was the mounting frustration with denials, delays … and ultimately being dropped by her health insurer through no fault of her own. So instead of reapplying she walked away—and pieced together a system for herself. Combining medical tourism, concierge medicine, a health share and even reclaiming her Philippine citizenship, Lani took an unconventional route to take control of her health care.

What drove her to make these radical changes—and what can we learn from her journey? This is the second episode in a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

What would you do if your health insurer suddenly dropped you, and the care you needed cost thousands out of pocket? That’s what happened to Lani Gonzales, a former attorney from Florida who thought she understood contracts, until she came face-to-face with America’s broken healthcare system.

After experiencing medical debt and being denied coverage for vital health treatments, Lani asked herself: Why keep playing a game that’s rigged against me? Her search for affordable, compassionate care led her across the border to Mexico – and to some surprising lessons about what health care in America could look like. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Lani.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

Most of us know that our profit-driven healthcare system results in moral injury. How is moral harming physicians? And how is it harming patients?  Dr. Diljeet Singh is an integrative gynecologic oncologist and the president of Physicians for a National Health Program. She’s leading a powerful new project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to find out.

By gathering stories from doctors and patients across the country, her team is uncovering how corporate control and financial pressures are fueling moral injury in medicine—and what it will take to make things right. From physicians losing autonomy to entire communities losing access to care, the stakes are real—and deeply personal. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

What happens when doctors feel forced to act against their own moral compass? When financial barriers—not clinical judgment—determine the care a patient receives?

We’re talking about moral injury in medicine—how it’s affecting physicians, harming patients, and why it’s getting worse under our profit-driven healthcare system.

Joining us is Dr. Diljeet Singh, an integrative gynecologic oncologist and president of Physicians for a National Health Program. She shares powerful stories from her own practice—and from the front lines of American healthcare—that reveal a deeper crisis than just burnout. This is the first episode in a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

As Trump Administration attacks on public health care ramp up, what’s California doing to fight back? Can the state break free from a system that puts profits over patients — and build a truly universal, single-payer healthcare system? Or will political roadblocks and federal inaction keep us stuck in a broken status quo? Bottom line, how close can California - the 4th largest economy in the world - get to single payer on its own?

To find out, we spoke with Michael Lighty, president of Healthy California Now who has organized, advocated and developed policy for single-payer Medicare for All nationally and in California for over three decades. He’s a founding fellow of the Sanders Institute, and he was healthcare constituency director for the Bernie 2020 campaign. Most recently, he co-wrote and was a leader in the successful campaign to enact California’s Senate Bill 770, a critical step toward negotiating the federal waivers the Golden State needs to build a universal, publicly financed healthcare system.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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

This time on Code WACK! 

What does freedom really mean when, in 2025, health care costs more than $31,000 a year for the average American family? This Independence Day, we’re revisiting a powerful conversation about how single-payer healthcare could slash costs, unleash innovation, and expand access for all. Could it also help revive the American Dream of owning your own business?

Ian Lewis, now with Unite Here Local 2 but at the time of this interview with National Union of Healthcare Workers, breaks down how our current system burdens small businesses, stifles entrepreneurship—and what a bold reform could change. Could Medicare for All be the key to greater financial security, opportunity, and true independence for millions of Americans?

While Ian ends the interview on an optimistic note, the political context for healthcare reform has changed dramatically since this episode. Funding for public health insurance programs like Medicaid and Medicare are on the chopping block and the threat of privatization is greater than ever. 

Keep up with the latest news on health policy reform by subscribing for updates at heal-ca.org/take-action. 

Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!

THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

As millions of Americans face losing their health coverage, what can single-payer advocates do right now to protect our care and push for something better? What’s truly at stake for our country—and especially for its most vulnerable residents?

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

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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

THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

How are young people pushing back against a potential rollback that could once again block DACA recipients, or Dreamers, and thousands of others from enrolling in Affordable Care Act coverage? And why do advocates call this potential move by the Trump administration extremely dangerous?

To find out, we spoke with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles, the nation’s largest young adult policy and advocacy organization. Kristin leads efforts to elevate the voices of young adults in the political process and expand their access to economic opportunity.

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

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

As federal officials carry out large-scale, military-style raids and widespread arrests of undocumented immigrants, another fight is quietly brewing — one that could push thousands of people off their health insurance.

More than half a million young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and grew up here could soon lose eligibility for affordable and subsidized health coverage.  A new rule proposed by the Trump Administration would once again block DACA recipients from buying Marketplace insurance or receiving financial assistance.

What would this mean for their health, their communities and the widening gap in health and economic equity?

To find out, we spoke with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles — the nation’s largest young adult policy and advocacy organization — where she leads the charge to amplify the voices of young adults in the political process.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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