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New Code WACK! episode
“It feels like we are sitting ducks … just waiting until the government gets around to addressing abortion care….” —Julie Burkhart
How States ‘Trap’
Abortion Clinics
to Shut Them Down
Featuring Julie Burkhart
CEO, Trust Women Foundation
President, Wellspring Health Access
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
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Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“If the justices uphold the lower court’s ruling, health associations said in a filing, life-saving tests and treatments that have been cost-free would become subject to co-pays and deductibles, deterring many Americans from obtaining them.”
US Supreme Court to Hear Clash Over Obamacare Preventive Care
Reuters | John Kruzel, Andrew Chung | April 21, 2025
“I think there will be resistance among the state government to cutting Medicaid, but if they have to, presumably they might start changing which undocumented get access, maybe limiting it to children and elderly people, rather than everyone….”
Californians Support Funding Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants, Poll Finds
Politico | Rachel Bluth, Emma Anderson | April 19, 2025
“On Tuesday, President Trump issued an executive order on prescription drug pricing that supports key drug industry efforts to weaken the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Medicare negotiation program, putting Medicare and beneficiary savings at risk.”
Drug Pricing Executive Order Boosts Pharmaceutical Industry’s Goals
Medicare Rights Center | Lindsey Copeland | April 17, 2025
“Slashing federal funding by nearly a third … would fundamentally dismantle the infrastructure that makes aging in place even remotely possible for low- and middle-income Americans.”
Medicaid Cuts Jeopardize the Right to Age At Home
The Hill | Geoff Gross | April 17, 2025
“UnitedHealth Group’s stock sank 20% on Thursday after the company slashed its annual profit forecast, citing higher-than-expected medical costs in its … Medicare [Advantage] plans.”
UnitedHealth’s Stock is Plunging on Higher Medical Costs. That May Mean Trouble for More Insurers
CNBC | Annika Kim Constantino | April 17, 2025
“The administration’s goal is to surpass 22% in savings, the results of the first year of the negotiation program, a fact sheet reveals.”
Trump Order Seeks Changes to Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, PBM Reform
Fierce Healthcare | Noah Tong | April 16, 2025
“Santa Clara stands to lose more than $11 million in public health funds due to the federal cuts…. A list of some of the federal grants already terminated includes millions of dollars from at least three programs in other states focused on Black birth outcomes.”
Fate of Black Maternal Health Programs Is Unclear Amid Federal Cuts
Capital B | Ronnie Cohen | April 16, 2025
“Perhaps there are ways to make the public health system more efficient through reorganization and trimming fat. However, any true effort to lower health care costs must focus on the central culprit: corporate power. Targeting the Medicaid program especially totally misses the mark….”
Don’t Gut Medicaid: Fix Health Care
Center for Economic and Policy Research | Brandon Novick | April 15, 2025
“…the [CMS] regulator said … state health programs … which aim to address social determinants of health … duplicate resources available through other federal and state programs, and serve as an ‘overly-creative financing mechanism to skirt state budget responsibilities.’”
CMS to End Some Federal Medicaid Spending for State Health Programs
Healthcare Dive | Emily Olsen | April 14, 2025
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and the impact they have on vulnerable individuals and communities.
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