IN THIS EPISODE
Does the type of insurance you have make a difference in the care you get? If the goal is equity, can America’s multi-payer system ever deliver? Listen as guest Dr. Paul Y. Song, radiation oncologist and president of Physicians for a National Health Program – California, joins host Brenda Gazzar to pull back the curtain on the inequities baked into our healthcare system. Does expanding Medi-Cal to more people do any good, when so few doctors accept it? What’s the most equitable and efficient health insurance in the U.S.? And how could we make Medicare better?
SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
What big weakness in U.S. healthcare was revealed by COVID-19?
“COVID, as you mentioned, has exposed…a big reliance on employer-sponsored health care, and we know the millions of Americans who lost their jobs because things shut down during the pandemic subsequently lost their health care.” – Paul Song, MD
Is expanding Medi-Cal really an answer?
“…there are far too few specialists that are willing to see Medi-Cal patients because the reimbursement is so low and as an oncologist, I’ve seen far too many patients present with really advanced cancers, where had they gotten the timely diagnosis and intervention earlier on – we’re talking, sometimes it’s taken them up to a year to get the proper diagnosis and the workup – they’ve gone from potentially a curable situation into more of a terminal situation… – Paul Song, MD
What about Medicare? Could we make it better?
“…the government…in taking care of people over the age of 65… has a much higher risk pool of people that have more medical illness and problems. In spite of that, it does a better job of controlling costs. But imagine if … you and I, and people under the age of 40 could enroll in Medicare. I’d rather pay a monthly premium to Medicare to help spread out the risk and provide a cash infusion to seniors instead of giving it to some for-profit entity that only makes money by denying care.” – Paul Song, MD
Helpful Links
Lobbyists swarm Capitol to influence health reform. The Center for Public Integrity
California’s Reboot of Troubled Medi-Cal Puts Pressure on Health Plans. Kaiser Health News
Racial and Ethnic Disparities In Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage. American Bar Association
Survey: 60% of Americans support Medicare expansion strategies. Med-City News
Episode Transcript
Read the full episode transcript.
Guest Biography
President, Physicians for a National Health Program – California
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Find more Code WACK! episodes on ProgressiveVoices.com, on the PV App and on NurseTalk Media. You can also subscribe to Code WACK! wherever you find your podcasts. This podcast is powered by HEAL California, uplifting the voices of those fighting for health care reform around the country. I’m Brenda Gazzar.
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