Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“Both as patients and as caregivers, we need to be really aware of what’s going on and we need to do something every time we see or experience discrimination.” —Dr. Barbara Berney
Is Racism In Health Care Still a Problem in 2026? Absolutely.
Featuring Dr. Barbara Berney, Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution
Code WACK! | Podcast Episode 313 | January 19, 2026
“‘…it’s hard not to be shocked at the total amount of money going into [Medicare Advantage] rebates, the coding issues, the lack of data on extra benefits and recognizing how much those are costing the taxpayers,’ [said] Stacie Dusetzina, a MedPAC commissioner and health policy professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.”
Medicare Advantage Overpayments Will Total $76B This Year: MedPAC
Healthcare Dive | Rebecca Pifer Parduhn | January 16, 2026
“It will do absolutely NOTHING to stop your premiums from more than doubling….”
Some Policy Experts Struggle to Make Sense of New Trump Health Plan
ABC News | Arthur Jones II | January 16, 2026
“You basically have a group of federal appointees going behind closed doors and making recommendations about a vaccine — without any input from the public, without any input from experts in the field — and just making up their own schedule….”
The Facts on the Vaccines the CDC No Longer Recommends for All Kids
FactCheck.org | Kate Yandell, Jessica McDonald | January 15, 2026
“Instead of cracking down on Big Pharma and Big Insurance, Trump and Republicans caused premiums to skyrocket, slashed payments to hospitals and communities around the country, and signed off on sweetheart deals with health industry CEOs.”
Trump Takes Aim at Insurance Industry, Drug Prices in Unveiling ‘The Great Healthcare Plan’
Fierce Healthcare | Paige Minemyer | January 15, 2026
“Major reforms inevitably run into a health industry — a broad group of interests ranging from pharmaceutical and health services companies to hospitals and nursing homes — that spent more than $653 million on lobbying last year….”
The Debate That Never Ends: Washington’s Constant Health Care Fight
Associated Press | Steven Sloan | January 15, 2026
“UnitedHealth has ‘turned risk adjustment into a major profit centered strategy, which was not the original intent,’ the new report from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says.’”
UnitedHealth ‘Aggressively’ Gaming Medicare Advantage, Senate Investigation Finds
Healthcare Dive | Rebecca Pifer Parduhn | January 12, 2026
“It frustrates Mathew to find himself in this situation. He liked his Affordable Care Act plan and believes in it. He’s still hoping Congress makes a deal. Not everyone, he says, has a best friend they can marry to get affordable health insurance.”
Marrying for Health Insurance? The ACA Cost Crisis Forces Some Drastic Choices
NPR | Selena Simmons-Duffin | January 12, 2026
____________________________________________
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.