Code WACK!

The deadly calculation of our for-profit healthcare system

This time on Code WACK! How did a single mom in Kentucky, in the 1970s, become a physician, then a health insurance medical reviewer and eventually a whistleblower? To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Linda Peeno, a physician and ethicist who has spent nearly four decades working to protect patients from harm and death by corporate healthcare systems.  Dr. Peeno was played by actor Laura Dern in the 2002 docudrama “Damaged Care,” and she was also featured in Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary “Sicko.” She has assisted in more than 150 legal cases to expose for-profit systems that have corrupted medicine and health care. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!  

Does silence still equal death? For too many Americans, the answer is yes.

This time on Code WACK! In honor of PRIDE Month, we’re revisiting a popular episode about the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. What were the health policy failures that spurred so many Americans to militant activism? How did the LGBTQ+ community win the struggle to get government funding to address the deadly virus? Fortunately today, with appropriate medical intervention, more and more people are living, instead of dying, with HIV/AIDS. But the U.S. still trails many developed countries in life expectancy, a result of health policy failures that continue to cause unnecessary death and suffering.  What can today's Medicare-for-All movement learn from AIDS activists?  To find out, we spoke with Michael Lighty, president of the Healthy California Now Coalition, and former constituency director for Bernie 2020. Check out the Show Notes and Transcript for more!

The devastating 'domino effect' of state budget cuts

This time on Code WACK! At least seven states are grappling with budget shortfalls in 2024. What goes on behind the scenes when a state needs to cut costs? Who stands to lose the most as programs are trimmed or eliminated? Today we're looking at California’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit – and what's being done to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents.  To find out, we spoke to Jodi Reid, executive director of California Alliance for Retired Americans, California’s largest grassroots senior advocacy organization. She has more than four decades of organizing experience on issues ranging from health care to housing. Jodi represents her organization on the board of Healthy California Now, a single-payer advocacy coalition. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

'Insidious, unethical,' yet legal: The Denial-of-Care model

This time on Code WACK!   How do Managed Care health insurance plans hurt patients? Why is it legal for commercial health insurers to use Denial-of-Care as a business model? And what is one organization doing to call attention to such issues?  To find out, we spoke to Kimberly J. Soenen, founder of “SOME PEOPLE,” a Chicago-based not-for-profit organization and multiverse channel dedicated to removing barriers to healthcare access.  Soenen is also the COO of AMPERS Radio Association in Minnesota, but the views she expressed in this podcast are solely her own. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Kimberly Soenen.   Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!  

Commercial health insurance: Is denying care the business model?

This time on Code WACK! What’s the impact of commercial health insurance Denial-of-Care tactics? Who “wins” when new employees have to wait three months before their health insurance kicks in? What devastating physical, financial and emotional consequences did one young woman face after she was seriously injured during such a waiting period?  To find out, we spoke to Kimberly Soenen, founder of Chicago-based “SOME PEOPLE,” a not-for-profit organization and multiverse channel dedicated to removing barriers to healthcare access.  This is the first episode in a two-part series with Kimberly. Soenen is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of AMPERS Radio Association. All views expressed during this podcast are her own. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!