Tag: healthcare policy

States Push Back Against Medicaid Managed Care

            THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   Today, most people on Medicaid get their care through private insurers called Managed Care Organizations, or MCOs – like Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. Critics say these companies add layers of bureaucracy that make it […]

The Middlemen Making Money Off Medicaid

            THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   Why are there middlemen in Medicaid – and what are they doing to our most vulnerable patients and physicians? How and why are private insurance intermediaries permitted to put profits ahead of patients? […]

The Hidden Cost of Private Equity Hospital Buyouts

          THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   We’re taking a closer look at what happens when private equity buys hospitals. Our guest is Dr. Renee Hsia (pronounced “Shaw”). An emergency physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Dr. Hsia explains how […]

Is private equity in health care killing us?

          THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   What happens to staff and patients when private investors buy hospitals to make them more profitable? And why should this concern us all? To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Renee Hsia ( […]

Medicare Advantage Is Breaking America’s Promise to Seniors

        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 […]

‘No real choice.’ How Medicare Advantage fails seniors

      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 […]

Think Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Won’t Hit You? Think Again

            THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   What will happen when Medicaid is slashed for millions of people as a result of Trump’s H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill?”  How will the largest rollback of the social safety […]

Medicaid Saved My Mom’s Life – But Trump Could End It for Millions

          THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!   While not perfect, Medicaid has served as a lifeline for millions of impoverished Americans, including Jennifer Wells and her mother, who suffered a brain aneurysm years ago. But that lifeline will soon be taken […]