Nurse Talk

This time on Code WACK!

Privatized Medicare now covers more than half of older adults nationwide. But how do Medicare Advantage plans’ lower star ratings, narrow networks, and “paper benefits” hit seniors of color hardest-and why are hospitals dropping these plans, leaving patients scrambling for care?

Our guest is Dr. Belinda McIntosh, an Atlanta-based psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience, Physicians for a National Health Program board member, and co-author of the PNHP report No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color. This is part two of a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK!

How does Medicare Advantage - also known as privatized Medicare - fail seniors … especially seniors of color? Why do many seniors find they actually have no other choice than an Advantage plan? What’s the consequence of that lack of choice? And how do Medicare Advantage insurance plans actually deepen racial and income disparities?

To find out, we spoke with Dr. Belinda McIntosh — an Atlanta-based psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience, a board member of Physicians for a National Health Program, and co-author of a new PNHP report titled “No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color.”

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

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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

This time on Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK! In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re rebroadcasting this episode examining how desegregation shaped the experiences of Black patients in America – and what still hasn’t changed. What does racism in medicine look like today?

To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Barbara Berney, project creator and producer of the documentary “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” She’s also an emeritus professor at City University of New York School of Public Health and a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. healthcare system. This is the second of two episodes with Dr. Berney. It originally aired in March of 2025.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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

This time on Code WACK!

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we’re rebroadcasting our Anthem Award–winning episode on one of the most overlooked civil rights battles in American history: the desegregation of hospitals.

The episode features Dr. Barbara Berney, a distinguished public health scholar and the creator of the award-winning documentary Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution. Together, we explore how federal Medicare dollars were used as a powerful tool to force hospitals to integrate in the 1960s.

We’re uplifting this groundbreaking story to educate a new generation about the critical role health care played in the civil rights movement - and to confront how racism still shapes access to care and health outcomes today.

This is part one of a two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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

This time on Code WACK!

As healthcare costs skyrocket and Americans face new coverage threats, California advocates are pushing for something bigger than simple fixes around the edges. We’re joined by longtime healthcare organizer Michael Lighty, who breaks down the fight for single payer, what’s at stake in 2026, and why unity may be the key to winning guaranteed healthcare for all.

Michael is the president of Healthy California Now and has organized, advocated and developed policy for single payer Medicare for All nationally and in California for more than 30 years. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Michael Lighty.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK!

Today we’re talking about rising healthcare costs and the renewed momentum behind Medicare for All. Recent polling shows majority support for the idea-across Democrats, independents, and even a notable share of Republicans-even when voters are told it would replace most private insurance and require higher taxes.

As premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs continue to climb, healthcare affordability is once again front and center in the political debate. To help us unpack what’s driving this support-and whether it represents a real political opportunity-we’re joined by longtime healthcare advocate and policy strategist Michael Lighty, president of Healthy California Now and former healthcare constituency director for the Bernie 2020 campaign. This is the first of two episodes with Michael Lighty.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK!

America is facing a looming crisis in caregiving with an aging population and scarce in-home care resources . Could neighborhood-based care networks offer answers? What becomes possible when they’re in place?

To find out, we spoke with Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Harmon, a scientist-turned-storyteller, caregiver and founder of a business helping neighbors build caring communities and local economies through community villages.

She spent more than two years caring for her father, who lived with dementia, and is currently the unreimbursed caregiver for her elderly mother in Virginia. This is the second episode in a two-part series featuring Dr. Harmon.

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!

Suddenly, with little notice, you may find yourself having to step into a caregiving role for a friend or family member. Maybe you already have. It could be an aging parent, an ailing partner or an injured child. What does it really cost—emotionally, physically, and financially—to care for someone you love?

To find out, we recently spoke with Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Harmon, a scientist turned storyteller and caregiver whose life changed in an instant. What she thought would be a brief visit to her father ultimately became a years’ long caregiving journey that nearly pushed her to the brink—and ultimately inspired her vision for “vertical villages,” where neighbors foster caring communities and economies to support one another through life’s toughest moments.

As the founder of Village Company 360 and the caregiver of her mother in Virgina, Dr. Harmon reveals just how unprepared our systems are for the caregiving crisis—and why all of us need to pay attention.

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

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK!

Join us on a deep dive into the hidden forces behind soaring out-of-pocket costs, from rising medical costs to pandemic aftershocks and corporate profit pressures. Our guest, health insurance agent Sherry Davis Johnson, shares eye-opening stories from the front lines. We’ll also explore how the Affordable Care Act has saved lives, what protections still matter most, and what it really takes to navigate today’s healthcare maze. This is the second episode in a two part-series.

Sherry Davis Johnson — a former nurse turned long–time insurance agent in Southern California — has seen our challenging healthcare system from every angle, as a nurse and home health provider, insurance agent and patient. Today, she’s here to help us make sense of it all.

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!

We’re digging into big questions: Are reduced health insurance subsidies leaving Americans with a bad case of sticker shock? If you’re shopping on the ACA marketplace, what should you watch out for before picking a plan? And what happens if you're pre-authorized for treatment in 2025, but can't afford to renew with the same plan in 2026? (It's not pretty).

For these answers and more, we talked to Sherry Davis Johnson — a former nurse turned long–time insurance agent in Southern California. Sherry has seen our challenging healthcare system from every angle, as a nurse and home health provider, insurance agent and patient, having personally gone through five major surgeries in just two years. Today, she’s licensed in health, property, casualty, accident, and life insurance — and she’s here to help us make sense of it all. 

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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