Code WACK!
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.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 13 minutes
- Episodes
- 292
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Enduring Inequalities: Health Care in America's Indigenous Communities
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 i…
Meet the Wall Street darlings ruining our health care
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 contro…
Inclusion, Independence & Dignity: Health care & people with disabilities
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 …
No place at the policy table? Failing those most in need
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 aff…
SAG-AFTRA on strike: the Hollywood hustle in the age of AI
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 Lo…
Hostages to health care? The American workers' dilemma
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 i…
Minnesota's taking on corporate health care -- and winning!
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 movin…
Profits over people? There's an algorithm for that.
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?
…
Delays, denials & death: The Medicare Advantage Scam
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 ge…
'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' & other healthcare myths
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 variet…
Does your health insurance cover physical therapy? Kind of, maybe.
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?
…
Winning an equitable abortion landscape
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' …
One woman’s struggle for care in America's South, without Medicaid
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…
Burnout is wearing doctors down. Could Medicare for All help?
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 fo…
Saving the American Economy with Single Payer: A Second Look
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…
'Mass uncertainty:' America's abortion landscape in the post-Dobbs era
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…
When a healthy pregnancy turns deadly. The story of April Valentine.
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 su…
Unheard: Pain, denial & the Black birth experience
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 Aske…
Sex, stigma & the 'murderous logic' of the healthcare industry
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'…
'Silence = Death:' What single-payer advocates can learn from AIDS activists
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 Medicar…