This time on Code WACK! Why can working as a doctor in America feel like being on a battleground? What questionable tactics are insurance companies using? How are they affecting patients and physicians alike? And when coverage is denied, what can patients do? (See Helpful Links below for tips on appeals.) To find out, we recently spoke with Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart, a private practice orthopedic surgeon in northern New Jersey. A Harvard-trained biomedical engineer with an MD and PhD from Johns Hopkins, Dr. Urquhart is the author of the forthcoming book The Invisible Hand Wielding the Scalpel: Paying the Price in America's Fractured Healthcare System. This is the first episode of a two-part series. Check out the <a href= "https://heal-ca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Transcript-Urquhart-11-3-25.pdf"> Transcript</a> and <a href= "https://heal-ca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Show-Notes-When-Insurers-Play-Doctor-11_03_25-.pdf"> Show Notes</a> for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation at <a href= "http://heal-ca.org/donate">heal-ca.org/donate</a>.

Profit, Prejudice, and the Price of Care

Code WACK! shines a light on our callous healthcare system and what we can do about it. It reveals the healthcare hassles that - far from being just annoying - threaten our peace of mind, our financial security and at times, our very lives. Join us each week as we chat about the challenges that patients and healthcare providers face, amplifying their voices and examining a range of possible solutions, including Medicare for All.  Powered by HEAL California, a project of the California OneCare Education Fund, Code WACK! informs the vital discussion of healthcare reform.