This time on Code WACK! What could a Trump White House mean for your health care and your family’s? What might it mean for public health at a time when the nation is still reeling from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic? And which populations stand to lose the most? To find out, we spoke to Ada Briceño, chair of Orange County Democrats and co-chair of Unite Here Local 11, which represents tens of thousands of workers in hotels, restaurants, airports, and sports arenas in Southern California and Arizona. Ada is also a former National Steering Committee Member for the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer. This is the first episode in a two-part series.

This time on Code WACK! Why have healthcare giants like United Health and Cigna have been purging some of their commercial accounts and pivoting to government-funded programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid? How is this affecting patients? And what is the government doing about it? To find out, we spoke with Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry executive turned whistleblower, the New York Times bestselling author of Deadly Spin and the president of the Center for Health and Democracy. He’s also the author of the Substack newsletter HEALTH CARE un-covered which chronicles out-of-control profiteering in U.S. health care, its impact on everyday Americans, and potential policy solutions.

This time on Code WACK! How do some Australians, who have single-payer health care they call Medicare, view the American healthcare system? What do they think about the many people in America who need to have a job to get health insurance? Who set their wedding day with their health insurance in mind? Or who have health insurance but go bankrupt anyway, because it doesn't cover all their medical bills? To find out, we spoke to Australian Anna Candler, founder and CEO of The Circular Water Company. Through frequent visits to family in the U.S., Anna has gained firsthand insight into the stark differences between the Australian and American healthcare models. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

This time on Code WACK! How does Australia's healthcare system work and why is it considered one of the best in the world? What are some of the ways the Australian healthcare system, which they call Medicare, and private health insurance differ from ours? An Australian citizen, Anna is founder and CEO of The Circular Water Company in Sydney. Through frequent visits to family in the United States, particularly in Maryland, she's gained firsthand insight into the stark differences between the Australian and American healthcare models. This is the first episode in a two-part series.

This time on Code WACK! What is “data justice” and how does it inform and refine health policies for invisibilized communities? What policy solutions are needed to reduce health disparities among people, especially marginalized Latinx and indigenous communities? What role does the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California play in advancing the health of vulnerable communities throughout the state? And what are the hopes and fears of these communities when it comes to their health and the upcoming presidential election? To find out, we recently interviewed Dr. Seciah Aquino, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

This time on Code WACK! Public health advocacy requires considerable insight into the major issues that affect communities. How best to gain this insight? What role does direct personal experience play? Today Seciah Aquino, DrPH, MS shares how her lived experience as an immigrant has informed her work as Executive Director of a leading health equity advocacy organization, the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. How did her experience, first as a young child in Guatemala and later as an immigrant living in Gardena, California, inspire her to pursue higher education and transform her life, and the lives of others? And how did that experience inform her response to the COVID pandemic?

This time on Code WACK! Rebate aggregators? Group purchasing? Vertical integration? How exactly do Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, operate to maximize profit? And how are everyday Americans suffering from these practices? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart, national board secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program, a single-payer advocacy coalition that boasts more than 25,000 members, and former chief medical officer for one of the largest PBMs in the country. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

We’re taking another look at Pharmacy Benefit Managers or PBMs. Why were PBMs started and how did they morph to become one of the most powerful entities in health care? Why have they caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission? How are they a threat to consumers? To find out, we spoke to Dr. Ed Weisbart, the national board secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program and former chief medical officer of one of the biggest PBMs in the country. This is the first episode in a two-part series.

What’s at stake in health care with the upcoming federal election? Would Donald Trump really try to repeal the Affordable Care Act - again? Would Kamala Harris continue fighting to rein in the skyrocketing cost of medicine? What will be the fate of Biden-era policies like enhanced tax credits limiting the cost of health insurance premiums? Or access to reproductive health care (including contraception)? With so much up in the air, how is Families USA, a leading national, non-partisan voice for healthcare consumers, responding? To find out, we spoke to Anthony Wright, Families USA’s new executive director. This is the second episode in a two-part series.

The fight for affordable, accessible health care in the U.S. has gone on for decades. Who’s in the fight to win solutions that improve health care for everyone? What policies are they working on? Today we’re featuring the Washington DC-based Families USA, a leading national nonpartisan voice for healthcare consumers. We welcome their new executive director, Anthony Wright, who previously served for 22 years as executive director of Health Access California. This is the first episode in a two-part series with Anthony Wright.

This time on Code WACK! What are lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission doing about Pharmacy Benefit Managers and their undue influence over drug prices and access? Who is watching out for consumers when the pharmaceutical industry pursues self-serving arrangements? And what’s the impact on independent pharmacies and their patients? To find out, we recently interviewed Hannah Garden-Monheit, director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission. Prior to joining the FTC, Garden-Monheit worked at the National Economic Council (NEC), where she served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director for Competition Council Policy. At the NEC, she was extensively involved in shaping the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and much more. This is the second episode in a two part series.