{"podcast":{"title":"Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained","slug":"care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935","podcast_index_feed_id":6733935,"rss_url":"https://feeds.redcircle.com/f4520de0-f5b9-4ba9-b510-a517553cf327","website_url":"https://redcircle.com/shows/care-talk-with-laura-packard","image_url":"https://media.redcircle.com/images/2025/3/6/21/1b20a5ec-5f79-4214-adfb-8342e70642bf_89-432b-ac37-0896c9280205_caretalk_podcast_art.jpg","author":"Laura Packard","episode_count":143,"summary":"American health care is broken. But that doesn't mean it needs to break you. With the help of some friends, we can make sense of it all and come out stronger. Join Laura Packard, cancer survivor and health care advocate, each week on Care Talk as she brings policy experts to answer your questions on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, private insurance, and more. We help patients and families navigate America's health insurance and health care systems, and explain topics in-depth from how to fight medical bills to lowering the cost of healthcare in America. New episodes every Tuesday. CALL/TEXT IN YOUR QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE EPISODES ‪(202) 838-6837‬.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-16T00:19:24.028367+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935"},"episode":{"title":"Doctors vs. Insurance Companies: Why We Must Ban Prior Authorization w/ Emma Freer and Hannah Garden-Monheit, American Economic Liberties Project","slug":"doctors-vs-insurance-companies-why-we-must-ban-prior-authorization-w-emma-freer-and-hannah-garden-monheit-american-economic-liberties-project","published_at":"2026-09-01T10:00:44+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/doctors-vs-insurance-companies-why-we-must-ban-prior-authorization-w-emma-freer-and-hannah-garden-monheit-american-economic-liberties-project","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935","url":"https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk","audio_url":"https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/8916b5c5-a015-473d-9c20-99195ee772a9/stream.mp3","summary":"Your doctor said yes - but insurance said no. Why? On this Care Talk, Emma Freer and Hannah Garden-Monheit from the American Economic Liberties Project , authors of the new report “Ban Prior Authorization: Ending Big Medicine’s Strategy to Boost Profits by Denying Medically Necessary Care\" join host Laura Packard . We break down how prior authorization went from a narrow cost tool to a “corporate care veto” — where Big Medicine insurance conglomerates require approval, then have their own affiliates (including AI companies they own) deny the care. We cover what it means for patients facing delays, denials, and surprise bills, why doctors are burning out, and why 71% of voters — Democrats and Republicans — support banning it. Also Louise Norris of healthinsurance.org and Diane Archer of Just Care answer your health insurance questions on the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and more. Questions include what to do if you lose your health insurance before employer insurance kicks in, is Medicare only available for people over 65, is appealing a prior authorization denial worth the effort, and what happens if you're on Medicare and retire abroad. READ THE REPORT: Ban Prior Authorization — American Economic Liberties Project: https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/ban-prior-auth/ ABOUT THE GUESTS: Emma Freer and Hannah Garden-Monheit are researchers/authors at the American Economic Liberties Project. Their August 6, 2026 brief proposes banning prior authorization where insurers have a financial conflict of interest. LINKS & RESOURCES: • Full Report (PDF): https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/ban-prior-auth/ • Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk SUBSCRIBE to Care Talk for weekly health care policy…","meta_description":"Your doctor said yes - but insurance said no. Why? On this Care Talk, Emma Freer and Hannah Garden-Monheit from the American Economic Liberties Project ,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1876,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/episodes/doctors-vs-insurance-companies-why-we-must-ban-prior-authorization-w-emma-freer-and-hannah-garden-monheit-american-economic-liberties-project/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/doctors-vs-insurance-companies-why-we-must-ban-prior-authorization-w-emma-freer-and-hannah-garden-monheit-american-economic-liberties-project.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}