Sex Ed, Medicaid, & Abortion Access: A trio of policies worth fighting for
Release Date: 05/19/2025
The House Always Wins: Why One Woman Gave Up On U.S. Health Insurance
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! What would you do if your health insurer suddenly dropped you, and the care you needed cost thousands out of pocket? That’s what happened to Lani Gonzales, a former attorney from Florida who thought she understood contracts, until she came face-to-face with America’s broken healthcare system. After experiencing medical debt and being denied coverage for vital health treatments, Lani asked herself: Why keep playing a game that’s rigged against me? Her search for affordable, compassionate care led her across the border to Mexico – and to some surprising lessons...
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When Doctors Suffer Too: The Hidden Crisis of Moral Injury in U.S. Healthcare
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! Most of us know that our profit-driven healthcare system results in moral injury. How is moral harming physicians? And how is it harming patients? Dr. Diljeet Singh is an integrative gynecologic oncologist and the president of . She’s leading a powerful new project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to find out. By gathering stories from doctors and patients across the country, her team is uncovering how corporate control and financial pressures are fueling moral injury in medicine—and what it will take to make things right. From physicians losing...
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Betrayal, Burnout & Moral Injury: Doctors and the Financialization of Medicine
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! What happens when doctors feel forced to act against their own moral compass? When financial barriers—not clinical judgment—determine the care a patient receives? We’re talking about moral injury in medicine—how it’s affecting physicians, harming patients, and why it’s getting worse under our profit-driven healthcare system. Joining us is Dr. Diljeet Singh, an integrative gynecologic oncologist and president of . She shares powerful stories from her own practice—and from the front lines of American healthcare—that reveal a deeper crisis than just...
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Can California beat the odds and ditch for-profit healthcare?
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! As Trump Administration attacks on public health care ramp up, what’s California doing to fight back? Can the state break free from a system that puts profits over patients — and build a truly universal, single-payer healthcare system? Or will political roadblocks and federal inaction keep us stuck in a broken status quo? Bottom line, how close can California - the 4th largest economy in the world - get to single payer on its own? To find out, we spoke with Michael Lighty, president of who has organized, advocated and developed policy for single-payer Medicare for...
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Independence? Unless we get health care, it's a sham.
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This time on Code WACK! What does freedom really mean when, in 2025, health care costs more than $31,000 a year for the average American family? This Independence Day, we’re revisiting a powerful conversation about how single-payer healthcare could slash costs, unleash innovation, and expand access for all. Could it also help revive the American Dream of owning your own business? Ian Lewis, now with Unite Here Local 2 but at the time of this interview with National Union of Healthcare Workers, breaks down how our current system burdens small businesses, stifles entrepreneurship—and...
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Medicaid on the chopping block: What’s at stake?
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! As millions of Americans face losing their health coverage, what can single-payer advocates do right now to protect our care and push for something better? What’s truly at stake for our country—and especially for its most vulnerable residents? To find out, we spoke to Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now coalition and former constituency director for the Bernie 2020 campaign. Check out the and for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a .
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Death by a thousand cuts: Trump's attacks on our health care
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! How are young people pushing back against a potential rollback that could once again block DACA recipients, or Dreamers, and thousands of others from enrolling in Affordable Care Act coverage? And why do advocates call this potential move by the Trump administration extremely dangerous? To find out, we spoke with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of , the nation’s largest young adult policy and advocacy organization. Kristin leads efforts to elevate the voices of young adults in the political process and expand their access to economic opportunity. This is the...
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Weaponizing health care: The Trump rule targeting young immigrants
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THIS WEEK ON CODE WACK! As federal officials carry out large-scale, military-style raids and widespread arrests of undocumented immigrants, another fight is quietly brewing — one that could push thousands of people off their health insurance. More than half a million young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and grew up here could soon lose eligibility for affordable and subsidized health coverage. A new rule proposed by the Trump Administration would once again block DACA recipients from buying Marketplace insurance or receiving financial assistance. What would this mean...
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How Big Insurance Rigs the Rules - and What We Can Do About It
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This time on CodeWACK! How are big insurance companies dodging the very rules meant to protect patients — and turning our health care system into a profit machine for Wall Street? What can we the people do to stop it? Join us as we dive into the dark side of corporate loopholes, for-profit health care, and policy failure with Rachel Madley, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the . A former FDA staffer and health policy advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Rachel played a key role in crafting and reintroducing the House Medicare for All bill in 2023. With a PhD in Microbiology and...
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We can save billions on health care — why won’t Congress do it?
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This week on CodeWACK! Are Americans finally waking up to the truth about single-payer healthcare? With new Medicare for All bills recently reintroduced in Congress, we’re setting the record straight. Will it really save us money? Is it socialized medicine? And why aren't our legislators addressing the REAL causes of our skyrocketing healthcare costs? To unpack this, we spoke with Rachel Madley, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the . A former health policy advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal — lead sponsor of the House Medicare for All bill — Rachel helped shape and...
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Which states have received the highest scores in the rePROs Fight Back’s 13th annual 50-state report card on sexual and reproductive health and rights released in March -- and why? And what specific threats - whether federal, state or local - should reproductive rights advocates be most concerned about? And what policies should they be promoting?
To find out, we spoke with Jennie Wetter, Director of the rePROs Fight Back initiative at The Population Institute, where she champions sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice every day. Jennie also hosts the rePros Fight Back Podcast, offering deep dives into abortion access, birth control, sex ed, LGBTQ+ rights, and
This is part two of a powerful two-part series with Jennie.
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.