Nurse Talk

This time on CodeWACK! Most employers don’t actually know what they’re paying for healthcare - and employees are paying the price. In this episode of Code WACK!, discover why companies are “flying blind” on healthcare costs, how opaque pricing drives higher premiums, and what this means for your coverage, care, and financial security. To learn more, we spoke with Chuck Melendi, who has more than three decades of experience in healthcare leadership, advocacy, and industry strategy. He spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he tackled issues including drug pricing, payer negotiations, policy, and commercial strategy. Chuck retired from Johnson & Johnson in early 2025 and went on to launch Disruptive Dialogue, a podcast and consulting platform where he shares insights from inside the U.S. healthcare system – while exploring ideas for reform. This is the second of a two-part series. 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.

This time on CodeWACK! What challenges do employers face when providing health coverage to their employees? And what role do health insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers—prescription drug middlemen known as PBMs—play in shaping costs, coverage, and access to care? To find out, we spoke with Chuck Melendi, who has more than three decades of experience in healthcare leadership, advocacy, and industry strategy. He spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he tackled issues including drug pricing, payer negotiations, policy, and commercial strategy. Chuck retired from Johnson & Johnson in early 2025 and went on to launch Disruptive Dialogue, a podcast and consulting platform where he shares insights from inside the U.S. healthcare system – while exploring ideas for reform. This is the first of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

This time on CodeWACK! Today, most people on Medicaid get their care through private insurers called Managed Care Organizations, or MCOs—like Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. Critics say these companies add layers of bureaucracy that make it harder for patients—most of them low-income—to get care. They discourage physicians from accepting Medicaid patients by making them jump through hoops to get treatment pre-authorizations, or even to get paid. Are Managed Care companies making health care more expensive, not less? How are some states reacting? Are legislators starting to wake up and see through the hype? Some are. All this and more is discussed in a recent report from Physicians for a National Health Program, Removing the Middlemen from Medicaid. To unpack it, we spoke with Dr. Alankrita Olson, a public health physician and PNHP board member who advocates for a single-payer healthcare system. This is the 2nd of a two-part series. 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.

This time on CodeWACK! Why are there middlemen in Medicaid—and what are they doing to our most vulnerable patients and physicians? How and why are private insurance intermediaries permitted to put profits ahead of patients? A recent report by Physicians for a National Health Program, titled Removing the Middlemen from Medicaid, pulls back the curtain on Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Alankrita Olson, a public health physician and advocate for a universal single-payer system. She serves on the board of Physicians for a National Health Program and works to protect and expand healthcare access for all Americans. This is the first episode of a two-part series. 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.

This time on Code WACK! We’re taking a closer look at what happens when private equity buys hospitals. Our guest is Dr. Renee Hsia (pronounced “Shaw”). An emergency physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Dr. Hsia explains how patients can be harmed when Wall Street firms take over health care. A Professor of Emergency Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California, San Francisco, she is also Vice Chair of Health Services Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and a core faculty member of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. This is part two of our two-part series. Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! What happens to staff and patients when private investors buy hospitals to make them more profitable? And why should this concern us all? To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Renee Hsia ( pronounced “Shaw”) an attending physician at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California, San Francisco. She’s also Vice Chair of Health Services Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and a core faculty member of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! Millions of Americans have health insurance, but still can’t afford to use it. So what happens when high deductibles and corporate profit pressures shape the care patients receive? To break it down, we spoke with Dr. Adam Gaffney — a pulmonary and critical care physician, public health researcher, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He’s also a former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, and his work focuses on health care financing and national reform. This is the second episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! Why do Americans live about four years less, on average, than people in similar European countries, despite spending far more on health care? And why are so many dying from illnesses we already know how to prevent or treat? To help us unpack this, we spoke with Dr. Adam Gaffney — a pulmonary and critical care physician, public health researcher, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He’s a former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, and his research and advocacy focus on health care financing and national reform. He’s also the author of To Heal Humankind: The Right to Health in History. This is part one of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! Why are people in America resorting to receiving medical care in animal stalls - even if they have health insurance? What would it take to make volunteer stopgap clinics unnecessary - and who stands in the way of real reform? To break it down, we spoke with leading healthcare reform advocate and New York Times bestselling author Wendell Potter. A former health insurance executive turned industry whistleblower, Wendell now serves as board president of the Center for Health and Democracy, which advocates for healthcare reform, and editor-in-chief of HEALTHCARE Un-covered, which investigates healthcare corporations and insurance conglomerates. This is part two of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

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This time on Code WACK! Privatized Medicare now covers more than half of older adults nationwide. But how do Medicare Advantage plans’ lower star ratings, narrow networks, and “paper benefits” hit seniors of color hardest-and why are hospitals dropping these plans, leaving patients scrambling for care? Our guest is Dr. Belinda McIntosh, an Atlanta-based psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience, Physicians for a National Health Program board member, and co-author of the PNHP report No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color. This is part two of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! How does Medicare Advantage - also known as privatized Medicare - fail seniors … especially seniors of color? Why do many seniors find they actually have no other choice than an Advantage plan? What’s the consequence of that lack of choice? And how do Medicare Advantage insurance plans actually deepen racial and income disparities? To find out, we spoke with Dr. Belinda McIntosh — an Atlanta-based psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience, a board member of Physicians for a National Health Program, and co-author of a new PNHP report titled “No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color.” This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! This time on Code WACK! In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’re rebroadcasting this episode examining how desegregation shaped the experiences of Black patients in America – and what still hasn’t changed. What does racism in medicine look like today? To break it down, we spoke to Dr. Barbara Berney, project creator and producer of the documentary “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” She’s also an emeritus professor at City University of New York School of Public Health and a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. healthcare system. This is the second of two episodes with Dr. Berney. It originally aired in March of 2025. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! Keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we’re rebroadcasting our Anthem Award–winning episode on one of the most overlooked civil rights battles in American history: the desegregation of hospitals. The episode features Dr. Barbara Berney, a distinguished public health scholar and the creator of the award-winning documentary Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution. Together, we explore how federal Medicare dollars were used as a powerful tool to force hospitals to integrate in the 1960s. We’re uplifting this groundbreaking story to educate a new generation about the critical role health care played in the civil rights movement - and to confront how racism still shapes access to care and health outcomes today. This is part one of a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at heal-ca.org/donate.

This time on Code WACK! As healthcare costs skyrocket and Americans face new coverage threats, California advocates are pushing for something bigger than simple fixes around the edges. We’re joined by longtime healthcare organizer Michael Lighty, who breaks down the fight for single payer, what’s at stake in 2026, and why unity may be the key to winning guaranteed healthcare for all. Michael is the president of Healthy California Now and has organized, advocated and developed policy for single payer Medicare for All nationally and in California for more than 30 years. This is the second episode in a two-part series with Michael Lighty. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! Today we’re talking about rising healthcare costs and the renewed momentum behind Medicare for All. Recent polling shows majority support for the idea-across Democrats, independents, and even a notable share of Republicans-even when voters are told it would replace most private insurance and require higher taxes. As premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs continue to climb, healthcare affordability is once again front and center in the political debate. To help us unpack what’s driving this support-and whether it represents a real political opportunity-we’re joined by longtime healthcare advocate and policy strategist Michael Lighty, president of Healthy California Now and former healthcare constituency director for the Bernie 2020 campaign. This is the first of two episodes with Michael Lighty. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! America is facing a looming crisis in caregiving with an aging population and scarce in-home care resources . Could neighborhood-based care networks offer answers? What becomes possible when they’re in place? To find out, we spoke with Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Harmon, a scientist-turned-storyteller, caregiver and founder of a business helping neighbors build caring communities and local economies through community villages. She spent more than two years caring for her father, who lived with dementia, and is currently the unreimbursed caregiver for her elderly mother in Virginia. This is the second episode in a two-part series featuring Dr. Harmon. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! Suddenly, with little notice, you may find yourself having to step into a caregiving role for a friend or family member. Maybe you already have. It could be an aging parent, an ailing partner or an injured child. What does it really cost—emotionally, physically, and financially—to care for someone you love? To find out, we recently spoke with Mary-Elizabeth Harmon, a scientist turned storyteller and caregiver whose life changed in an instant. What she thought would be a brief visit to her father ultimately became a years’ long caregiving journey that nearly pushed her to the brink—and ultimately inspired her vision for “vertical villages,” where neighbors foster caring communities and economies to support one another through life’s toughest moments. As the founder of Village Company 360 and the caregiver of her mother in Virgina, Mary-Elizabeth reveals just how unprepared our systems are for the caregiving crisis—and why all of us need to pay attention. This is the first episode in a two-part series. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! Join us on a deep dive into the hidden forces behind soaring out-of-pocket costs, from rising medical costs to pandemic aftershocks and corporate profit pressures. Our guest, health insurance agent Sherry Davis Johnson, shares eye-opening stories from the front lines. We’ll also explore how the Affordable Care Act has saved lives, what protections still matter most, and what it really takes to navigate today’s healthcare maze. This is the second episode in a two part-series. Sherry Davis Johnson — a former nurse turned long–time insurance agent in Southern California — has seen our challenging healthcare system from every angle, as a nurse and home health provider, insurance agent and patient. Today, she’s here to help us make sense of it all. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

This time on Code WACK! We’re digging into big questions: Are reduced health insurance subsidies leaving Americans with a bad case of sticker shock? If you’re shopping on the ACA marketplace, what should you watch out for before picking a plan? And what happens if you're pre-authorized for treatment in 2025, but can't afford to renew with the same plan in 2026? (It's not pretty). For these answers and more, we talked to Sherry Davis Johnson — a former nurse turned long–time insurance agent in Southern California. Sherry has seen our challenging healthcare system from every angle, as a nurse and home health provider, insurance agent and patient, having personally gone through five major surgeries in just two years. Today, she’s licensed in health, property, casualty, accident, and life insurance — and she’s here to help us make sense of it all. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.