Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
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“Having gaps in your insurance status, even if it is only a month or three months, can be deadly.”
Too Poor for Insurance, Too Sick to Wait: America’s Healthcare Trap
Featuring Rachel Madley, Executive Director, Center for Health & Democracy
Code WACK! | Podcast Episode 329 | May 11, 2026
“California reported 374,000 people canceled their plans this year, compared with 240,000 last year.”
Health Insurance Marketplace Feels Growing Tremors from GOP Cuts
The Hill | Nathaniel Weixel | May 10, 2026
“Health care costs have grown faster than inflation in recent years, driving up spending for households, businesses, and government alike — and well over half of Californians expect health care to be less affordable in the future.”
What California’s Next Governor Needs to Know About Health Care
Public Policy Institute of California | Shannon McConville, Paulette Cha, Shalini Mustala | May 7, 2026
“The nation’s fractured system is associated with worse health outcomes and barriers to care, according to the nonprofit health analyst group KFF.”
Democratic Candidates Revive Single-Payer Promise as California’s Healthcare System Faces Strain
Insurance News Net | Grant Stringer, Grace Hase | May 7, 2026
“Even at a time when gas prices are in front of your face every time you drive by a gas station, the fact that healthcare remained near the top of the list was really striking.”
Healthcare Still Tops Affordability Concerns for Many Americans
Marketplace | Samantha Fields | May 7, 2026
“Californians trust nurses and doctors, not insurers and pharmaceutical companies.”
Trust and Distrust in California’s Health Care System: A 2026 Statewide Survey
California Healthcare Foundation | University of Chicago | May 7, 2026
“According to a recent analysis from Wakely Consulting Group, around 14% of people who enrolled in ACA plans this year did not pay their first monthly bill, with the number increasing to 25% or more in some states. Normally, the rate of falloff for ACA plan membership early in the year is much lower, only reaching mid-single digits.”
Priced Out: Health Plan Enrollment Plummets Due to Rising Costs
Advisory Board | May 7, 2026
“Prior authorizations have long drawn criticism for the time they require of physicians’ offices and for hindering patients’ access to care, with the American Medical Association finding that such offices spend an average of 12 hours per week seeking insurer approval for medical treatments.”
UnitedHealthcare to Cut Prior Authorization for 30% of Services. Here’s What to Know.
CBS News | Aimee Picchi | May 5, 2026
“Standing next to Trump in the Oval Office, [Elon Musk] assured the gathered journalists and their live TV audiences that USAID’s programs to prevent the spread of deadly diseases were still operating. They weren’t.”
US Global Health Assistance Destroyed by DOGE
Physicians for a National Health Program | May 4, 2026
“Given the scale of Medicare, program integrity in [Traditional Medicare] and [Medicare Advantage] is essential … and there is concern that MA plans have incentives to inappropriately deny care, aggressively code diagnoses to influence risk adjustment, or engage in other deleterious behavior.”
Ensuring a Sustainable Medicare Program Through Effective Oversight
Journal of the American Medical Association | Michael Chernew, Ishani Ganguli, MD| May 4, 2026
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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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