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“You can’t take millions of dollars out of a system and then not anticipate there would be changes to that, right?”
—Cindy Young
The One Big Beautiful Bill?
It’s a Bitch!
Featuring
Cindy Young
Vice President,
California Alliance for
Retired Americans
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
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Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“As a scholar of rhetoric and the mother of an autistic child, in the language of MAHA I hear a disregard for the humanity of people with disabilities and a shift from supporting them to blaming them for their needs.”
How Federal Officials Talk About Health is Shifting in Troubling Ways – And That Change Makes Me Worried for My Autistic Child
The Conversation | Megan Donelson | August 25, 2025
“Private insurers are more than happy to care for patients under a Medicare Advantage plan when these profits are rolling in, but when challenges arise, they tend to discard these patients. They tend to say, ‘These patients are not profitable anymore….’”
Insurers Are Pulling Back on MA. How Does This Affect Patients?
MedCity News | Marissa Plescia | August 24, 2025
“The millions of Americans who are used to getting their Covid-19 vaccines at a local pharmacy may face new hurdles this fall depending on where they live and whether federal health officials have decided they qualify.”
Getting a COVID Shot This Fall Could Be a Lot More Complicated
Politico | Lauren Gardner | August 22, 2025
“Spending millions on lobbying and campaign contributions can influence policy that creates billions in returns – either from changes in public policy or by maintaining the status quo. … one study found that every $1 corporations spent on lobbying for a tax holiday provision in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 yielded $220 – a 22,000 percent return on investment.”
How Big Pharma Bought Government to Protect Its Racket
CounterPunch | Brandon Novick | August 22, 2025
“…since 1999, health insurance premiums for people with employer-provided coverage have more than quadrupled.”
The Price Increases That Should Cause Americans More Alarm
KFF Health News | Elisabeth Rosenthal | August 22, 2025
“In 2022, Medicare beneficiaries spent a total of $6,330 out of pocket on health care costs … including premiums for Medicare and costs for Medicare-covered services and services Medicare doesn’t cover … while average per capita income from Social Security was $16,157….”
Health Costs Consume a Large Portion of Income for Millions of People with Medicare
Kaiser Family Foundation | Nancy Ochieng, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, Anthony Damico | August 21, 2025
“‘All Covered California enrollees would face higher costs, and the loss of enhanced tax credits alone could result in an average net premium increase of 66 percent for 1.7 million enrollees,’ they said.”
Californians Warned of ‘Devastating’ New Health Insurance Costs
Newsweek | Jasmine Laws | August 20, 2025
“‘CMS will begin providing states with monthly enrollment reports identifying individuals whose citizenship or immigration status could not be confirmed through federal databases,’ the agency said in a press release….”
CMS Announces Plan to Disenroll Noncitizens From Medicaid and CHIP
MedPage Today | Joyce Frieden | August 19, 2025
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Shining a light on ongoing inequities in health care
and the impact they have on vulnerable individuals and communities.
Our podcast Code WACK! brings to life the failures of America’s healthcare system with stories, commentary and analysis.
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