Like Weekly News Roundup?
Subscribe to our popular podcast Code WACK! and donate to support our work!
New Code WACK! episode
“If you go to the casino and you gamble, you understand that it is skewed towards the favor of the house, right? … And I realized that the healthcare system was very similar. It’s like, you know, it is skewed in their favor. It is not there to take care of me….” —Lani Gonzales
The House Always Wins:
Why One Woman Gave Up
On U.S. Health Insurance
Featuring
Lani Gonzales, Esq.
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
________________________________________
Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
____________________________________________________________
Featured Article:
“UnitedHealth is reshaping the American health care system, and few people know the company’s true scope — until now.”
The Sunlight Report on United Health Group, a report by the Center for Health & Democracy
____________________________________________________________
“…the changes will raise the annual cost of health coverage by hundreds of dollars for most of the 23 million people who get coverage through the ACA marketplace by reducing premium tax credits and letting insurers raise out-of-pocket charges.”
Administration’s ACA Marketplace Rule Will Raise Health Care Costs for Millions of Families
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Gideon Lukens, Elizabeth Zhang | August 1, 2025
“…the proposal would require hospitals to presume people enrolled in means-tested programs, such as food stamps and cash assistance, are eligible for financial aid without having to apply.”
She Had To Fight for Help with Medical Bills. A New California Bill Could Make It Easier
CalMatters | Ana B. Ibarra | August 1, 2025
“…a Congressional Budget Office finding [concluded] that Medicare for All would save $400 billion annually ‘just by simplifying healthcare payments and cutting out private insurers.’”
How to Make Healthcare Affordable? Senators’ Suggestions Vary Widely
MedPage Today | Joyce Frieden | July 31, 2025
“The cuts are the largest in the program’s history, and enact decades of conservative rhetoric – tracing all the way back to then-actor Ronald Reagan’s 1961 criticism of public health insurance as ‘socialized medicine.’”
Medicare and Medicaid Turn 60 – And Face Historic Cuts Decades in the Making
The Guardian | Jessica Glenza | July 30, 2025
“‘…the people who will lose coverage from this policy will mostly be working or have serious health problems and should still be in the program,’ [said] Dr. Benjamin Sommers, a professor of health care economics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. … ‘The “savings” here are not from reducing fraud, but from kicking people off of Medicaid to become uninsured and struggle to afford medical care….’”
What the Future of Medicaid and Medicare Could Look Like
Newsweek | Jasmine Laws | July 30, 2025
“…the Republican-backed law is estimated to result in some 3.4 million Californians losing coverage, according to numbers from state health officials. Those losses will likely be acutely felt in the Valley, where across the eight-county swath from San Joaquin to Kern more than 51% of the population relies on Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in state, for their health insurance.”
Valley Medicaid Recipients, Providers Face ‘Worst Case Scenario’ with One Big Beautiful Bill Passage
The Intersection | Marijke Rowland | July 29, 2025
“…state health officials revealed that California was short roughly a third of the 8,100 psychiatrists and 117,000 licensed therapists it needed based on 2022 data.”
As California’s Behavioral Health Workforce Buckles, Help Is Years Away
California Healthline | Christine Mai-Duc | July 29, 2025
“…discriminatory exclusion is not a permissible means to accomplish fiscal objectives, nor is it a permissible legislative end.”
Judge Shields All Planned Parenthood Clinics From Defunding
Roll Call | Sandhya Raman | July 28, 2025
____________________________________________
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.
Our Weekly News Roundup shares news and views about health policy, health equity and healthcare reform (from non-paywalled news sources)
Our Media page connects you to doctors, advocates and experts in health economics and health policy.
Our Resources page provides a wealth of additional resources including links to legislation and studies.
Keep up with the Medicare for All movement
Subscribe to Code WACK!
Apple Google Amazon Spotify Subscribe
Podcasts Podcasts Music for emails
Or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!
And follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe for email updates.