THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!
Is it really normal that the health insurance we pay for often doesn’t fully protect us? It may be ‘normal’ but is it right? Millions of Americans face soaring healthcare costs, coverage denials, medical debt, job lock, and even hospital closures. Have we simply come to accept these realities as part of life?
Retired pediatrician and healthcare reform advocate Dr. Ana Malinow says they don’t have to be.
After three decades caring for immigrant, refugee, and underserved children, Dr. Malinow believes America is at a pivotal moment to rethink its healthcare system. As America marks 250 years of independence, she’s helping lead a campaign calling for a “Declaration of Independence from the U.S. Medical-Industrial Complex” and a national single-payer healthcare system.
Dr. Malinow is the former president of Physicians for a National Health Program and currently serves on the steering committee of National Single Payer.
This is Part 2 of a two-part episode.
Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!
And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.
SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
Noting America’s skyrocketing insurance premiums, Medicaid funding crisis, hospital closures affecting communities everywhere, you argue that we need more fundamental reforms than the usual litany of incremental ‘fixes.’ Tell us more..
MALINOW: I think that we are in a crisis that is offering us a window of opportunity that comes up every few decades.
And so we must seize this moment right now, and we must put forth a solution worthy of the crisis at hand.
Every time we have a healthcare crisis, single payer is derailed. We are told … this is not the time … we could only hope for, at best, some kind of incremental reform. But I think that we have to stop replaying that playbook.
A solution worthy of the crisis at hand is not a half measure. The proposals that are being guaranteed will set back the Medicare for All movement back another 15 years. Just like the ACA set back the Medicare for All movement, 15 years or longer.
Helpful Links
Declaration of Independence from the Medical-Industrial Complex, National Single Payer
How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries?, Peterson/KFF Health System Tracker
Health care in the USA: money has become the mission, The Lancet
US Healthcare System Is in Crisis, American College of Surgeons
Guest Biography: Ana Malinow, MD
Dr. Ana Malinow spent three decades working as a pediatrician with immigrant, refugee and underserved children in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, and California before retiring as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
She is past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and has been featured on national and international media on health care reform and the stealth privatization of Medicare.
She is currently a lead organizer for The Movement to End Privatization of Medicare and on the steering committee of National Single Payer.
Host Biography: Brenda Gazzar
Brenda Gazzar, the host and co-producer of Code WACK!, has produced over 300 weekly podcast episodes, with downloads topping 400,000. A skilled interviewer and storyteller, Brenda brings nuance, curiosity, and clarity to every conversation.
Brenda has worked as a multilingual and award-winning reporter with more than two decades of experience in California and the Middle East.
Her work has been published by Reuters, Ms. Magazine, USA Today, Los Angeles Daily News, the Orange County Register, The Wrap, The Jerusalem Post, Cairo Times, and numerous other publications. She speaks Spanish, Hebrew, and a moderate level of Arabic and is the recipient of national, state, and regional awards.
Brenda also enjoys being a life coach, helping people align with their purpose so they feel fulfilled while achieving their boldest dreams.
Brenda’s work is grounded in a belief that systemic change and personal growth go hand in hand, and she’s here for both.
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Keywords:
Code WACK!, HEAL California, Brenda Gazzar, Medical Industrial Complex, Ana Malinow, Medicare for All, Declaration of Independence, freedom, Essential Caregivers Act, essential caregivers, nursing home isolation, long-term care, family caregivers, caregiver advocacy, nursing home residents, elder care, disability rights, healthcare justice, Medicare for All, single payer healthcare, nursing home reform, COVID lockdowns, aging with dignity, social isolation
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uplifting the voices of those fighting for healthcare justice.
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