Like Weekly News Roundup?
Subscribe to our popular podcast Code WACK! and donate to support our work!
New Code WACK! episode
“There are long-term negative consequences to not getting a wanted abortion… anywhere from economic instability and insecurity that can last for years, people are more likely to stay in contact with a violent partner or having severe health outcomes, including death, that they would not have had if they had the wanted abortion.”
– Jennie Wetter
Criminalizing Choice:
The Deadly Cost of
Denying Abortion
Featuring Jennie Wetter
Director, RePROs Fight Back Initiative
The Population Institute
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
________________________________________
Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“Department of Homeland Security … is demanding a slew of records from Los Angeles County to determine if individuals in the United States illegally received payments [from] … California’s Cash Assistance Program [CAPI] … providing cash assistance to ‘certain aged, blind, and disabled legal immigrants’….”
Homeland Security Subpoenas California’s Immigrant Assistance Program in Latest Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
CBS News | Nicole Sganga | May 12, 2025
“A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade.”
House Republicans Unveil Medicaid Cuts That Democrats Warn Will Leave Millions Without Care
Associated Press | Lisa Mascaro | May 12, 2025
“The idea … is to tie U.S. drug prices to the generally lower prices paid abroad, typically in government-run health systems. It runs counter to free-market orthodoxy but could be hard for Republican lawmakers to refuse with Trump applying pressure.”
Trump Says He’ll Sign Order Aimed at Cutting Drug Prices by Up to 80%
Axios | Rebecca Falconer, Adriel Bettelheim | May 11, 2025
“…more than half of all [California] home health care workers rely on Medi-Cal for their own health coverage…. That is perhaps not surprising, considering what they earn … none of California’s 58 counties pay home health care workers enough to afford basic living expenses.”
GOP Cuts Medicaid Spending, GOP Threatens the Medically Vulnerable
LA Progressive | Mark Kreidler | May 10, 2025
“The Trump-appointed leadership of the CFPB and the lobby group for credit bureaus, the Consumer Data Industry Association, just asked a federal judge to vacate the medical debt rule.”
Medical Bills Don’t Belong on Your Credit Report
CounterPunch | Chloe Rogers | May 9, 2025
“…the agency, in response to Trump’s executive orders, cut funding for research grants that ‘promote or inculcate gender ideology.’”
Trump’s NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show
ProPublica | Annie Waldman | May 7, 2025
“President Trump’s threat of pharmaceutical tariffs is driving a surge of exports of drugs and medical products from Europe to the U.S. as manufacturers look to build up stockpiles before duties hit.”
Pharma Shipments Surge as Trump Tariff Threat Looms
Axios | Tina Reed | May 7, 2025
“The social contract around vaccination — that individuals choose to get immunized to help protect their communities — in the U.S. is seemingly fraying as more parents survey social media to find pediatricians who won’t force them to vaccinate their children.”
States Loosen Vaccine Rules — Even as Measles Outbreak Rages
Politico | Lauren Gardner | May 7, 2025
“Attorneys general in 19 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging cuts to the U.S. Health and Human Services agency, saying the Trump administration’s massive restructuring has destroyed life-saving programs and left states to pick up the bill for mounting health crises.”
20 Attorneys General Ask Federal Judge to Reverse Deep Cuts to US Health and Human Services
Associated Press | Rebecca Boone, Amanda Seitz | May 5, 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
Or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!
And follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe for email updates.