New Code WACK! episode
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The Corporate ‘War Chest’
That’s Spending Big to
Control Your Health Care
Featuring Jodi Reid,
California Alliance for Retired Americans
Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
Snippets of news & commentary with a special focus on
health policy, Medicare for All & California
Like Weekly News Roundup? Then you’ll love our popular podcast Code WACK! where we shine a light on the outrageous hassles patients face when dealing with America’s callous healthcare system. Subscribe below!
“Patients looking for doctors … often find the list of doctors provided by their insurance companies are inaccurate or out of date.”
Can’t Find a Doctor? California Bill Would Punish Insurers for Giving Customers Outdated Info
CalMatters | Ryan Sabalow | July 29, 2024
“Premiums for health insurance sold through the state’s marketplace will increase by nearly 8% in 2025….”
Premiums for Covered California Insurance Will Go Up in 2025. Here’s How Much
CalMatters | Ana B. Ibarra | July 25, 2024
“To improve people’s health, we must address their social needs, including housing.”
Medi-Cal Fosters Collaboration of Health Care, Homeless Service Providers
California Health Care Foundation | Michelle Schneidermann | July 25, 2024
“Medicare currently covers 67.1 million Americans, which is roughly one in four American adults…. The government spent about $848.2 billion on Medicare, or about 13.7% of the total budget. This averages about $15,727 per Medicare enrollee each year.”
How Much Does the Government Spend on Medicare?
USAFacts | USAFacts Team | July 24, 2024
“…those without insurance had significantly earlier withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) when compared with Medicaid recipients or the privately insured….”
Trauma Patients Without Insurance Taken Off Life Support Sooner, Study Finds
MedPage Today | Ian Ingram | July 24, 2024
“[Congressional] committee members accused [pharmacy benefit managers] of pushing patients toward expensive treatments even when lower-cost options are available.”
US Drug Industry Middlemen Defend Business Model Amid Accusations of Raising Patient Costs
Reuters | Amina Niasse, Bhanvi Satija | July 24, 2024
“…we follow Kyle as he sets out on a mission to get an obscenely profitable insurer to pay for his friend Cartman’s weight-loss meds. … Kyle and Cartman … try, naively but with determination, to ‘navigate’ the byzantine U.S. health care ‘system’.”
South Park Tackles Prior Authorization. It Would Be Funny If It Wasn’t So Damn Deadly.
HEALTH CARE un-covered | Wendell Potter | July 23, 2024
“There’s this narrative out there that you give people cash and they spend it on drugs and alcohol. I think we’re one of the first studies to really rigorously and empirically show that’s not the case.”
More Money Could Result in Fewer Trips to ER, Study Suggests
Associated Press | Devna Bose | July 22, 2024
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Shining a light on ongoing inequities in health care
and the impact they have on vulnerable individuals and communities.
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