Code WACK!

This time on Code WACK! Imagine being cut off from Mom - a nursing home resident - for months. You can't bring her favorite foods, or help dress her, hug her, or even hold her hand. For thousands of families during the COVID-19 pandemic, this became a heartbreaking reality. And without new laws, advocates say, it could very well happen again. That's why they are fighting to ensure our loved ones are never again separated from those they depend on most in nursing homes and other long-term care settings Today we're speaking with Tony Chicotel, senior staff attorney with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, or CANHR. For decades, Tony has fought to protect the rights of nursing home residents. And he says the isolation and neglect that families experienced during COVID was one of the most painful chapters of his career. This is part two of a two-part series on the Essential Caregiver's Act. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! What happens when we get too sick to work in a healthcare system that is tied to our jobs? What is the ultimate cost? The story of New York Health Act advocate Mariana Pineda is a case in point. After developing Long COVID, Mariana spent years navigating the same fragmented healthcare system she was fighting to change. She lost her job. She lost her health insurance. She lost her home. And earlier this year, in March, 2026, she lost her life. Mariana was just 46 years old. This is part two of a two-part series featuring tri-chair of the New York State Poor People's Campaign Susan Karbiner and LGBTQ and healthcare justice advocate Carly Paris. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! For millions of Americans, health care means fighting insurance companies, putting off costly treatment, wondering whether the hospital you prefer is in-network, or fearing financial disaster if you get seriously sick. But what if healthcare worked differently? This is part two of our conversation with Dr. Bernard Ho, an emergency physician in Toronto and vice chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare, a national evidence-based organization working to strengthen Canada's publicly funded healthcare system. He is a lecturer at the University of Toronto, where he also earned his M.D. Bernard is currently completing his Masters of Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! As of spring 2026, enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies have not been extended. Without congressional action, millions of Americans could face significantly higher premiums—or lose coverage altogether. Around 22 million people receive ACA premium subsidies, many of whom benefited from pandemic-era enhancements. If those aren't restored, affordability for individuals buying their own coverage will take a major hit. Meanwhile, health care costs are rising across the board. Employer-sponsored insurance premiums have seen some of the largest increases in over a decade, shifting more costs to workers through higher premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare premiums are also climbing, adding pressure on older adults. As coverage becomes less affordable, many people delay care, skip medications, or make tough financial tradeoffs just to get by. So what options do people have? Today, we revisit a timely 2025 conversation with Rachel Madley, executive director at the Center for Health and Democracy and former advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on CodeWACK! Imagine two patients … same diagnosis, same medication, same country. Each one needs the same prescription. One gets their care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the other gets it through Medicare. The price of the exact same drug could be half as much for one patient as for the other. That's not a glitch. It's how the system is designed. Our guest is Bob Coleman, a retired healthcare professional who spent more than 40 years serving veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—as a clinical pharmacist, medical informaticist, and researcher. His latest ebook is called "Hostile Takeover: How Wall Street and Congress Hijacked American Healthcare and How We Can Take it Back." This is the second of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

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