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“So you’re gonna get in these catch-22 situations where you try to prove that you’re disabled in order to not be subject to the work requirement. They’re gonna say, ‘No, you’re not disabled enough. Go out there and get a job.’ And then when you have trouble getting the job, they’re gonna say, ‘You didn’t comply with your work requirements, so we’re gonna take away your health care.’”
—Andy Imparato
The Brutal Dismantling of
America’s Healthcare Safety Net
Featuring
Sabrina Epstein &
Andy Imparato,
Disability Rights California
Find us on Apple podcasts, our website or your favorite podcast platform.
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Breaking News in Healthcare Reform
“Influential congressional advisory group MedPAC estimates that the CMS will pay MA insurers $84 billion more this year than the government would have if those members had been in traditional Medicare.”
Judge Vacates Medicare Advantage Audit Rule in Win for Industry
Healthcare Dive | Rebecca Pifer | September 26, 2025
“Quite frankly, there’s not a whole lot we can do about that if people just simply can’t afford to pay.”
California Braces for a Health Insurance Meltdown
Politico | Rachel Bluth | September 26, 2025
“U.S. providers could lose more than $32 billion in revenue next year if more generous subsidies for plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges expire…. Meanwhile, uncompensated care — when hospitals and doctors deliver services without being reimbursed — will rise by an estimated $7.7 billion….”
Hospitals, Doctors Could Lose $32B in Revenue Next Year If ACA Subsidies Expire: Report
Healthcare Dive | Rebecca Pifer | September 26, 2025
“The tariffs deal a long-awaited blow to pharmaceutical companies, many of which have pushed back and warned that the levies could drive up costs, deter investments in the U.S. and disrupt the drug supply chain, ultimately putting patients at risk.”
U.S. to Impose 100% Tariff on Branded, Patented Drugs Unless Firms Build Plants Locally, Trump Says
CNBC | Lim Hui Jie & Annika Kim Constantino | September 25, 2025
“I do think that we’re doing something right. That all may come to a crashing end.”
Homelessness Is Dropping in California Counties. But Funding Cuts Could Derail That Progress
CalMatters | Marisa Kendall | September 24, 2025
“…even if people qualify for assistance, they may not get discounts. That’s because many physicians working at but not for a hospital aren’t bound by its financial assistance policies. Hospitals themselves might limit the types of services eligible for discounted or ‘charity care’….”
Big Loopholes in Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck with the Tab
CBS News | Michelle Andrews | September 22, 2025
“…after U.S. hospitals were acquired by private equity firms, mortality among Medicare beneficiaries in the emergency departments increased by 13 percent on average….”
ER Deaths Surged in US Hospitals Taken Over by Private Equity, Study Finds
Newsweek | Hannah Millington | September 22, 2025
“Over 90 psychiatric hospitals across the country have violated EMTALA in the past 15 years and almost all have faced the same lack of consequences….”
Psychiatric Hospitals Turn Away Patients Who Need Urgent Care. The Facilities Face Few Consequences.
ProPublica | Eli Cahan | September 22, 2025
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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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