About this episode

The episode discusses the leadership vacuum at HHS and its implications for public health, featuring insights from Kayla Hancock.

The doors keep swinging at the Department of Health and Human Services. With multiple top health agencies now run by acting officials, who is actually steering America's public health? As the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak winds down, a new Ebola outbreak is rapidly spreading. What happens to patients when no one's in charge? Kayla Hancock at Protect Our Care does a deep dive into the leadership vacuum at HHS, and why it matters for your health in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices . Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org and Diane Archer from Just Care answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about Affordable Care Act marketplace changes for 2027 and 2028, what to do if your Medicare drug plan denies your prescription, and appealing denials of care under an employer self-funded health insurance plan. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get…

People in this episode

Host: Laura Packard

Guest: Kayla Hancock

Topics covered

• Department of Health and Human Services
• public health leadership
• Ebola outbreak
• Affordable Care Act
• Medicare
• health insurance

Keywords

• HHS
• health agencies
• Ebola outbreak
• Affordable Care Act
• Medicare
• health insurance questions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Protect Our Care, healthinsurance.org, Just Care, Health Care Voices

More episodes of Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained

• Big Pharma Sued to Block Lower Drug Prices? Here's Why They Lost w/ Merith Basey, Patients for Affordable Drugs · June 9, 2026 · 31 min
• Hantavirus: Facts vs. Misinformation w/ Dr. Christina Madison, The Public Health Pharmacist · May 19, 2026 · 31 min
• Prior Authorization: The Insurance Denial System Blocking Your Treatment w/ Miranda Yaver, PhD · May 12, 2026 · 33 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained podcast page.