New Code WACK! episode
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
Health Care in the
Land Down Under
Featuring Anna Candler,
Founder/CEO
The Circular Water Company
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!
“…a few doctors, working on behalf of health plans, appear to deny almost every appeal for behavioral health treatment they review….”
California Families Battling Addiction Fight for Their Lives After Insurance Denials
CalMatters | Jocelyn Wiener | October 28, 2024
“The upcoming election will likely affect the affordability of health insurance for millions.”
Election May Decide Health Coverage Fate for Millions as Some Affordable Care Act Subsidies Are Set to Expire
Capital & Main | Jeremy Lindenfeld | October 27, 2024
“Home care and paid leave are complementary, critically needed care investments that could transform how the U.S. addresses serious health needs, disability and aging.”
Harris’s Plan for ‘Medicare at Home’ Would Revolutionize Care in America
The Hill | Mia Ives-Rublee, Molly Weston-Williamson | October 26, 2024
“…in spite of massive federal subsidies, [Medicare Advantage] plans are erecting more and more barriers to patient care, including arduous prior authorization requirements that can delay necessary procedures, and narrow networks that may exclude higher-quality providers — all while often failing to save enrollees money on care.”
Opinion: Medicare or Medicare Advantage? One of Them Doesn’t Give You What You Pay For.
MarketWatch | Andrea Ducas, David Lipschutz | October 25, 2024
“About 1.7 million people who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans received these home visits last year but had no follow-up visits, procedures, tests or supplies for their diagnoses, which suggests the payments may have been ‘improper’ or that enrollees didn’t receive needed care….”
Medicare Advantage Plans Received $4.2 Billion in Payments for Questionable Home Visits, Report Says
CBS News | Aimee Picchi; Anne Marie Lee, Alain Sherter: Editors | October 24, 2024
“But the insurance companies … often outsource medical reviews to a largely hidden industry that makes money by turning down doctors’ requests for payments, known as prior authorizations. Call it the denials for dollars business.”
“Not Medically Necessary”: Inside the Company Helping America’s Biggest Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Care
ProPublica | T. Christian Miller, Patrick Rucker, David Armstrong | October 23, 2024
“…hundreds more infants died than expected in the United States, new research shows. The vast majority of those infants had congenital anomalies, or birth defects.”
Infants Died at Higher Rates After Abortion Bans in the US, Research Shows
CNN | Deidre McPhillips | October 21, 2024
“The hitch, according to seniors and aging services providers, is that flex cards are being counted as income in eligibility determinations for some other benefits and limiting older adults’ ability to tap rental assistance or Supplemental Security Income.”
MA Cash Cards Could Squeeze Other Senior Benefits
Axios | Maya Goldman | October 21, 2024
“Millions of people with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the ‘morning after’ pill and birth control pills for free….”
White House Says Health Insurance Needs to Fully Cover Condoms, Other Over-the-Counter Birth Control
Associated Press | Amanda Seitz | October 21, 2024
____________________________________________
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, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe for email updates.