Medicare For All Explained: Recent Episodes
Joe Sparks
This is episode 137, "The Good and Bad $5,000 Limit and How It Relates to Medicare for All."
In this episode, host Joe Sparks discusses the legislative proposal that puts a $5,000 limit on out-of-pocket expenses for traditional Medicare.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses the proposed $5,000 limit for traditional Medicare and why it is a tweak that won’t work.
This is episode 136, "Deprivatization."
In this episode, host Joe Sparks cites specific examples where Deprivatization—moving functions from private for-profit organizations to publicly funded government entities or to private non-profits funded by the government—has saved money and improved health outcomes for people.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains that deprivatization provides better and cheaper health care.
This is episode 135, "We Can’t Afford Not To Implement Medicare for All."
In this episode, host Joe Sparks discusses why you can make a compelling case for Medicare for All based on economics and why we can’t afford not to implement Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses why Medicare for All is an economic necessity.
This is episode 134, "CAP's Flawed Analysis."
In this episode, host Joe Sparks discusses a recent Center for American Progress (CAP) report’s recommendations that purport to lower healthcare costs, but won’t.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why CAP’s report recommendations will not lower costs.
Here is the link for CAP’s report: A Patients’ Bill of Rights To Lower Health Care Costs.
This is episode 133, "Cutting Back to Cover Healthcare Expenses."
In this episode, host Joe Sparks discusses a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) that revealed that more than 82 million people are cutting back to cover healthcare expenses.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks examines how people are cutting back to cover healthcare expenses and that Medicare for All will eliminate this problem.
Here are the links referenced in this episode.
Gallup survey: One-Third of Americans Cut Back to Cover Healthcare Expenses
New York Times article: A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care:
Washington Post article: One-third of Americans skip meals or other needs to afford health care
Here are the links for my previous episodes.
Episode 8: The Economics of Health Care, Part 1: The Problem – Our Current Health Care System Is Unaffordable
Episode 9: The Economics of Health Care, Part 2: The Solution – Medicare for All
This is episode 132, “The Top Economic Worry.”
In this episode, host Joe Sparks examines the new top economic concern in the U.S. according to a recent survey.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks examines the new top economic worry and how to fix the problem.
This is episode 131, “Helpful, but Should be Unnecessary.”
In this episode, host Joe Sparks explains how the new Virginia Medigap Birthday Rule law helps people who have Medigap plans, also known as Medicare Supplement plans. He also discusses why the benefits provided by this law would be even better with Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains the benefits of this new law and how it could reduce your Medigap premiums in Virginia.
As I said in this podcast episode, there are several other states that have similar programs. The specific details vary by state, so make sure to check the particulars for your state. Here is the list of states with similar programs: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming.
This is episode 130, “End the Tweaking.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why tweaks to the current U.S. healthcare system won’t work and that Medicare for All will stop the tweaking.
This is episode 129, “WISeR Isn’t.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why Medicare’s WISeR program isn’t wise.
This is episode 128, “How Medicare for All Could Change Your Life.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains how Medicare for All could change your life.
Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL337TuRDOI
This is episode 127, “Where to Get Reliable Medical Information.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks list some websites to get reliable health information now that the CDC is unreliable.
Below are the websites mentioned in this podcast.
Brown University’s School of Public Health Pandemic Center
The Cleveland Clinic’s Health Library
HealthyChildren.org
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Planned Parenthood
University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
Vaccine Education Center
This is episode 126, “Medicare Stealth Cuts.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks describes how Donald Trump and the GOP are making Stealth Cuts to Medicare even though Trump said he would not cut Medicare.
This is episode 125, “A Horrible Distraction.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks describes how the Big Beautiful Bill will cause millions to lose healthcare and distract us from solving the healthcare crisis in the United States.
This is episode 124, “Bad Healthcare News.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks describes how proposed Medicaid cuts in the misnamed Big Beautiful Bill will cause millions to lose health care.
This is episode 123, “Millions More Without Care.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains that the arguments over Medicaid cuts ignores people who are uninsured and underinsured.
This is episode 122, "Bearing the Cost of Irresponsible Healthcare Decisions."
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains that Medicare for All would reduce bad healthcare decisions by ending the denial of care by health insurance companies.
This is episode 121, “Free Market Healthcare Doesn’t Work.”
In this episode, Ali Velshi, a capitalist, explains why a free market healthcare system will never work. Velshi is from Canada and was a journalist on CNBC and before moving to MSNBC. Velshi’s explanation is from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”
Do not miss this episode as Ali Velshi explains why free market healthcare won’t work and why there is no country that has a free market healthcare system.
This is episode 120, “Speaking to the Needs of the People.”
In this episode, I play an excerpt from an interview with Blake Zeff. He helped in both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and is an expert in policy and strategic communications.
In the interview, Zeff explains that issues of health care helped the Democrats win the 2020 election, and then the Democrats rarely talked about health care and did almost nothing to address the problems with our healthcare system once elected.
Do not miss this episode as Blake Zeff discusses Democrats' failure to address health care.
This is episode 119, “Ending Medical Debt.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why removing medical debt from credit reports is not an effective way to deal with medical debt and how we can end medical debt.
This is episode 118, “The Murders not Being Discussed in the Health Care Debate.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why the 76,000 unnecessary deaths of our current healthcare system could be considered murders.
This is episode 117, “Will Health Care Get Even Worse in the United States?”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why health care is likely to become more expensive under Donald Trump.
This is episode one-hundred-and-sixteen, “The Curse of Medical Debt.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why medical debt is much larger problem than most people think.
Here is the report I referenced in this podcast: 100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt
Here are links to episodes 8 and 9 that I referenced in this podcast:
The Economics of Health Care, Part 1: The Problem – Our Current Health Care System Is Unaffordable
The Economics of Health Care, Part 2: The Solution – Medicare for All
This is episode 115, "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Health Records."
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of electronic health records and why we often depend on faxes to transfer health data.
This is episode 114, “Amazed by Free Health Care and Why We Need Medicare for All.”
Olympian Ariana Ramsey decided to try out the free health care at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She was “amazed” and said that “America needs to do better with their healthcare system.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains how the United States can do better with their healthcare system and how to make free health care normal so the amazement can end for everyone.
Here is the link to Ariana Ramsey’s TikTok video on being amazed by free health care: https://www.tiktok.com/@ariana.ramsey/video/7399645817944001838
This is episode 113, “The Missing Criteria for Health Insurance Companies.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains that health insurance companies are concerned with profits and are using AI to increase profits by denying care. Instead, insurance companies should be evaluated on how well they cover costs for treatment.
Here are the articles referenced in this podcast.
- As UnitedHealth and Cigna are Sued for AI-Based Claims Denials, Documents Suggest Major AI Expansion
- Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in need
Here is Wendell Potter’s news site referenced in this podcast, HEALTH CARE un-covered. I highly recommend it. Please consider subscribing to this news site.
This is episode 112, “The Harm Caused by Medicare Advantage.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses a report by Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) that documents the harmful effects of Medicare Advantage.
Here is a link to the report: Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers Harm America’s Seniors.
This is episode 111, “We Don’t Need Medicare Advantage.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why Medicare Advantage is not needed and is detrimental to Medicare.
Here is the MedPac report that I used as a source: Medicare Payment Policy. (See page XXV and pages 373-374.)
This is episode 110, “We don’t Need Health Insurance Companies.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses why we don’t need health insurance companies.
This is episode 109, “Some Really Good Reasons Why We Need Medicare For All.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explicates some good reasons why we need Medicare for All and comments on some of the disinformation regarding Medicare for All.
These following articles are referenced or used as sources in this podcast:
22 studies agree: ‘Medicare for All’ saves moneyMedicare For All Would Improve Hospital Financing
National Improved Medicare for All (NIMA):
“But How Are You Going To Pay For It?”
M4A Math
Universal healthcare as pandemic preparedness: The lives and costs that could have been saved during the COVID-19 pandemic
What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S.
This is episode 108, “A Prologue to the Future.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why the University of Delaware freezing hiring, pausing projects and curbing travel is a prologue to the future in the United States if we keep the current healthcare system.
These are the two articles referenced in this podcast:
Hiring frozen. Projects paused. Travel curbed. UD reacts to spiking state health care cost
Why companies are leaving the cloud
This is episode 107, “A Traditional Medicare Benefit.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why Medicare makes it easier to move to a different state.
This is episode 106, “Medicare for All Audio Bullet Points.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks uses audio bullet points to explain why we need Medicare for All.
This is episode 105, “People’s Action and Healthcare for All.” My guest Aija Nemer-Aanerud is the Healthcare for All Campaign Director at People's Action.
Do not miss this episode as Aija describes People’s Action’s goals, how Healthcare for All fits into their overall purpose, and also describes what People’s Action is currently emphasizing in healthcare.
If you would like to learn more or volunteer for the Care Over Cost campaign here is the link: https://careovercost.org/.
If you would like to learn more about People’s Action, here is the link: https://peoplesaction.org/.
This is episode 104, "The U.S. Has the Worst Healthcare System Among Wealthy Nations."
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses some of the reports that show the U.S. has the worst healthcare system among wealthy nations.
This is episode 103, “Why Medicare for All Is Better Than Direct Contracting.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why Medicare for All is better than direct contracting.
This is episode 102, “Why Medicare for All Will Provide More Freedom.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why Medicare for All provides more freedom than private health insurance plans.
This is episode 101, “Drowning, Guns, Healthcare and What People Say.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why the response to drownings, gun violence, and healthcare is to let people die and why we need to change that.
Here is the article that I referenced from the New York Times: "Drowning Is No. 1 Killer of Young Children. U.S. Efforts to Fix It Are Lagging."
Here are two other reference articles on drownings:
- "Drowning Facts"
- "Drowning: The Fast and Silent Killer"
Here is the study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions for my statistics on gun violence: "U.S. Gun Violence in 2021: An Accounting of a Public Health Crisis"
This is episode 100, “Bubble-Up Economics.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks expands the discussion beyond Medicare for All and discusses why we need to take a “bubble-up” approach to the economy.
In this podcast, I quote CBS News. However, in the podcast I do not say explicitly that I am quoting CBS. Here is the quote, “If the minimum wage had risen along with workers' productivity since the 1970s, it would currently be set at nearly $23 an hour, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research.”
This is episode 99, “Clarifying a Few Points.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why the free-market will always result in a market failure for healthcare and why the free-market will never provide a viable solution for healthcare.
This is episode 98, "The Reintroduction of Medicare for All Bills and Why We Need Medicare for All."
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks informs that the Medicare for All Act bills will be reintroduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate on May 17, 2023, and summarizes some of the reasons why we need Medicare for All.
This is episode 97, “Some Changes Needed in Our Current Healthcare System.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why certain companies should not be allowed to assist or advise the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services, why we need to track denial of care by health insurance companies, why physicians deserve a rate increase from Medicare, and why health insurance companies don’t.
This is episode 96, “Why Does the Government Keep Letting Medicare Advantage Plan Companies Off the Hook.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks explains why, in his opinion, Medicare Advantage plan companies are like bank robbers that the government supports and what needs to be done to stop these bank robbers.
Here is the article referenced in this episode: Medicare Delays a Full Crackdown on Private Health Plans.
This is episode 95, “Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Automatic Denials.”
My guest, Julie Baak, will discuss Pharmacy Benefit Managers or PBMs and automatic denials, and how PBMs and automatic denials harm patients.
Julie is the Practice Manager of the Arthritis Center in Bridgeton, Missouri and an expert in Rheumatology Practice Management.
She has testified to the Missouri Senate Insurance Committee on patient access to care. Julie has received a ‘Change Maker’ award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), has served as the chair of the Payer Committee at the National Organization of Rheumatology Management (NORM) and currently serves on the Coalition State Rheumatology Organization (CSRO) Payer Response Team.
Do not miss this episode as Julie Baak describes the harm to patients caused by pharmacy benefit managers and automatic denials.
This is episode 94, “Why Doesn’t the Government Provide the Same Help to People Who Are Denied Care?”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks asks why the government doesn’t provide the same quick help to people who are denied care by health insurance companies as it did to the Silicon Valley Bank depositors.
This is episode 93, “Fifty Years of Failure.”
Do not miss this episode as host Joe Sparks discusses how the HMO Act of 1973 led to fifty years of failure and caused the U.S. to end up with the most expensive healthcare system in the world while having the worst overall health outcomes of wealthy nations.
This is episode 92, “More on ACO REACH and Why We Need to End It.”
My guest is Ed Weisbart, MD, and he explains some basics about ACO REACH, why we need to end it, how to end it, why it is a threat to seniors and Medicare, and why we should be optimistic about working to end REACH.
Dr. Weisbart is a retired family physician, the national board secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program, and president of Consumers Council of Missouri.
He received his medical degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago in 1979, and completed his family medicine residency and a fellowship in family medicine education at Michigan State University in 1982.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Weisbart explains why ACO REACH is a threat to seniors and Medicare, and why we need to end REACH.
For information on how to end ACO REACH and protect Medicare, here is the link for ProtectMedicare.net.
This is episode 91, “End ACO REACH.”
In this episode, I discuss why we need to end the Medicare ACO REACH program. ACO REACH or REACH is a program that transfers people from traditional Medicare to private health insurance.
ACO is an acronym for “Accountable Care Organization” and REACH is an acronym for “Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health.”
Do not miss this episode as I discuss why REACH is bad for individuals and the nation.
This is episode 90, “The Free Market Cannot Solve Every Problem.”
In this episode, I discuss why a free-market healthcare system will not solve the problems in U.S. health care.
I reference the following video in this episode: Single-Payer: The ONLY Fix to the For-Profit Private Insurance SCAM!
There are three people in the above video. The main two are MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Lawerence O’Donnell. The third is Rep. Jim Jordan who is briefly seen and heard, and whose false statements are quickly refuted.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss why the free market is a market failure in health care, and why the free market cannot fix health care in the U.S.
This is episode 89, “The Security Threat of Our Current Healthcare System.”
We would demand action if a foreign adversary caused more than 76,000 deaths like the current U.S. healthcare system does. However, we continue to allow these deaths. We need to take action to end the carnage.
This is episode 88, “Why We Need Single-Payer Medicare for All in the United States.”
Do not miss this episode as I discuss some important reasons why we need Medicare for All.
This is episode 87, “The Illogic and Fraud of Medicare Advantage Plans.”
Do not miss this episode as I discuss Medicare Advantage fraud and why the reasons for starting Medicare Advantage made no sense.
Here are links for the articles that I referenced in this podcast.
‘The Cash Monster Was Insatiable’: How Insurers Exploited Medicare for Billions (October 8, 2022)
Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds (April 28, 2022)
Here are the links for the podcast episodes that I referenced in this podcast:
Link for all episodes: https://medicareforallexplained.org/episodes/
Episode 57: What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, And How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 1 (June 1, 2021)
Episode 58: What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, and How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 2 (June 15, 2021)
Episode 86: Medicare: A Complicated Mess (October 1, 2022)
This is episode 86, “Medicare: A Complicated Mess.”
In this episode, I discuss why Medicare is a complicated mess, how to make it better, and why single-payer Medicare for All would be better for seniors and everyone else.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss why Medicare is complicated and how to make it better.
The Medicare handbook can be found here: “Medicare & You 2023.”
Here are the links for problems with Medicare Advantage plans:
As Seniors Get Sicker, They're More Likely To Drop Medicare Advantage Plans (July 5, 2017)
Patients in poor health leave Medicare Advantage plans (July 11, 2017)
Medicare Advantage Spends Less on Care, So Why Is It Costing So Much? (August 7, 2017)
CMS is giving unfair competitive advantage to private Medicare Advantage plans (April 5, 2018)
Medicare Advantage Plans Found to Improperly Deny Many Claims (Oct 13, 2018)
Medicare Advantage plans profit by wholesale denial of legitimate claims (October 18, 2019)
Even Researchers Don’t Know Which Doctors Medicare Advantage Covers (July 8, 2019)
Insurers Running Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions As Feds Struggle To Stop It (July 16, 2019)
Medicare Advantage Enrollees Discover Dirty Little Secret (Dec 3, 2019)
U.S. Watchdog Finds $6.7 Billion in Questionable Medicare Payments to Insurers (Dec 12, 2019)
Fraud Is Rampant in Medicare Advantage (Mar 13, 2021)
Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds (April 28, 2022)
Government Watchdogs Attack Medicare Advantage for Denying Care and Overcharging (June 29, 2022)
This is episode 86, “Medicare: A Complicated Mess.”
In this episode, I discuss why Medicare is a complicated mess, how to make it better, and why single-payer Medicare for All would be better for seniors and everyone else.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss why Medicare is complicated and how to make it better.
The Medicare handbook can be found here: “Medicare & You 2023.”
Here are the links for problems with Medicare Advantage plans:
As Seniors Get Sicker, They're More Likely To Drop Medicare Advantage Plans (July 5, 2017)
Patients in poor health leave Medicare Advantage plans (July 11, 2017)
Medicare Advantage Spends Less on Care, So Why Is It Costing So Much? (August 7, 2017)
CMS is giving unfair competitive advantage to private Medicare Advantage plans (April 5, 2018)
Medicare Advantage Plans Found to Improperly Deny Many Claims (Oct 13, 2018)
Medicare Advantage plans profit by wholesale denial of legitimate claims (October 18, 2019)
Even Researchers Don’t Know Which Doctors Medicare Advantage Covers (July 8, 2019)
Insurers Running Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions As Feds Struggle To Stop It (July 16, 2019)
Medicare Advantage Enrollees Discover Dirty Little Secret (Dec 3, 2019)
U.S. Watchdog Finds $6.7 Billion in Questionable Medicare Payments to Insurers (Dec 12, 2019)
Fraud Is Rampant in Medicare Advantage (Mar 13, 2021)
Medicare Advantage Plans Often Deny Needed Care, Federal Report Finds (April 28, 2022)
Government Watchdogs Attack Medicare Advantage for Denying Care and Overcharging (June 29, 2022)
This is episode 85, “The American Healthcare Mess.”
My guest, Gilbert Simon, MD, wrote “Ripped Off!: Overtested, Overtreated and Overcharged, the American Healthcare Mess.” In 1989, Dr. Simon founded the Sacramento Family Medical Clinics to care for people who had trouble affording and getting quality healthcare.
Before he founded his medical clinics, Dr. Simon was a pediatrician, and taught at Columbia University, University of California Davis School of Medicine, and California Northstate University School of Medicine.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Simon discusses the waste, inefficiency and profiteering that currently exists in the American healthcare system.
Correction: Dr. Simon said that we are “spending about 12 and a half dollars per capita” on health care. The correct figure is 12 and a half thousand dollars per capita.
This is episode 85, “The American Healthcare Mess.”
My guest, Gilbert Simon, MD, wrote “Ripped Off!: Overtested, Overtreated and Overcharged, the American Healthcare Mess.” In 1989, Dr. Simon founded the Sacramento Family Medical Clinics to care for people who had trouble affording and getting quality healthcare.
Before he founded his medical clinics, Dr. Simon was a pediatrician, and taught at Columbia University, University of California Davis School of Medicine, and California Northstate University School of Medicine.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Simon discusses the waste, inefficiency and profiteering that currently exists in the American healthcare system.
Correction: Dr. Simon said that we are “spending about 12 and a half dollars per capita” on health care. The correct figure is 12 and a half thousand dollars per capita.
This is episode 84, "Puerto Rico’s History of Single-Payer."
My guest, Carlo Bosques, is a medical student in Puerto Rico.
He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and did his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in molecular and cellular biology. While at Johns Hopkins, he served as a volunteer at a clinic that served undocumented patients. That experience helped him to realize how inseparable health and policy were.
While pursuing his medical degree in Puerto Rico, Mr Bosques leads a group of medical students in Project Arbona (Proyecto Arbona), that supports establishing a universal healthcare system in Puerto Rico. Mr. Bosques describes how Puerto Rico did have a single-payer healthcare system, which is an often forgotten part of its history that is rarely mentioned in the United States.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. Bosques discusses Puerto Rico’s former universal healthcare system, and how it was more effective than Puerto Rico’s current privatized healthcare system.
This is episode 84, "Puerto Rico’s History of Single-Payer."
My guest, Carlo Bosques, is a medical student in Puerto Rico.
He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and did his undergraduate degree at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in molecular and cellular biology. While at Johns Hopkins, he served as a volunteer at a clinic that served undocumented patients. That experience helped him to realize how inseparable health and policy were.
While pursuing his medical degree in Puerto Rico, Mr Bosques leads a group of medical students in Project Arbona (Proyecto Arbona), that supports establishing a universal healthcare system in Puerto Rico. Mr. Bosques describes how Puerto Rico did have a single-payer healthcare system, which is an often forgotten part of its history that is rarely mentioned in the United States.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. Bosques discusses Puerto Rico’s former universal healthcare system, and how it was more effective than Puerto Rico’s current privatized healthcare system.
This is episode 83, “Why Medicare For All Is Cool!”
In this episode, I describe what makes single-payer Medicare for All cool. In brief, it is cool because people get the medical care and prescription drugs they need when they need it without having to worry about cost.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss all the reasons why Medicare for All is cool.
This is episode 83, “Why Medicare For All Is Cool!”
In this episode, I describe what makes single-payer Medicare for All cool. In brief, it is cool because people get the medical care and prescription drugs they need when they need it without having to worry about cost.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss all the reasons why Medicare for All is cool.
This is episode 82, “Electronic Health Records and Interchangeable Data.”
My guest, A Jay Holmgren, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at University of California San Francisco and the Center for Clinical Informatics and Improvement Research, and a Senior Advisor at the Stanford Clinical Excellence Research Center.
He researches information technology and digital health, and uses quantitative social science to understand how information technology affects patients, providers, and health care organizations. Dr. Holmgren received a Masters degree in Health Informatics from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Holmgren discusses how have Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems that can exchange data will help patients.
This is episode 81, “Little Things That Can Make a Difference.”
In this episode, I discuss two actions that can be taken that would make life easier and save time for most people. I discuss how interchangeable health data would save time when people change or go to a new doctor, and that the government could figure taxes for most people.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss how interchangeable health data and the government figuring taxes would save time and money for most people.
This is episode 80, “A Catastrophic Ruling: The Overturning of Guaranteed Abortion Access.”
My guest, Diljeet Singh, MD, is board certified in OB/GYN and Gynecologic Oncology. She also has an MPH in Maternal and Child Health, and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research. Dr. Singh currently practices in the Washington D.C. metro area.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Singh discusses how ending women’s guaranteed right to abortions will seriously harm women’s health.
I am including a link to this New York Times article, "Deleting Your Period Tracker Won’t Protect You," because some people may find it useful.
This is episode 79, "Gun Violence and Public Health in the U.S." In this episode, I discuss gun violence and why gun violence is a serious public health threat in the United States.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss why gun violence is so rampant in the United States and what can and should be done about it.
Here are links to the video, article, and podcast episodes that I reference in this podcast:
- Damaged caused by high-velocity bullets.
- John McWhorter’s New York Times newsletter (Paywalled): Gun Violence Is Like What Segregation Was. An Unaddressed Moral Stain.
- Episode 19: How Do We Meet the Needs of People Who Need Mental Health Services? Poorly!
- Episode 52: How We Can Meet the Mental Health Needs of Children and Adolescents
This is episode 78, “Public Health, Single-Payer and the American Public Health Association.”
My guest, Anthony Spadaro, MD, MPH, is a resident physician in Emergency Medicine in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He graduated from a combined MD/MPH program from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was one of the authors on a policy statement endorsing single-payer healthcare as the path to universal healthcare endorsed by the American Public Health Association.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Spadaro discusses what public health is and why the American Public Health Association endorsed single-payer health care.
This is episode 77, “The Healthcare Skin-in-the-Game Myth.”
In this episode, I discuss why the assumption that people need to have skin in the game in healthcare is false and harmful to getting medical care.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss how requiring skin in the game for healthcare prevents people from getting the medical care they need.
This is episode 76, “Achieving the Cancer Moonshot in 10 Years.”
My guest, Diljeet Singh, MD, is board certified in OB/GYN and Gynecologic Oncology. She also has an MPH in Maternal & Child Health and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research. Dr. Singh currently practices in the Washington D.C. metro area.
In February of this year, Pres. Biden released his plan for a “Cancer Moonshot.” His goals are to reduce the cancer death rate by 50 percent within 25 years and to “improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer— and, by doing this and more, end cancer as we know it today.”
Dr. Singh explains how we could accomplish those goals within 10 years with what we know today.
Do not miss this episode as Dr, Singh explains how current knowledge and Medicare for All would allow us to achieve the goals of the Cancer Moonshot within 10 years.
This is episode 75, “Jeffry Sachs Testimony from the House Oversight Committee Hearing on Medicare for All.”
The House Oversight and Reform Committee had a hearing on “Examining Pathways to Universal Health Coverage” on March 29, 2022, and Medicare for All was a large part of that discussion. In this episode, I play the testimony of Jeffrey Sachs, PhD. Dr. Sachs is an economics professor at Columbia University, and he makes important points about the U.S. healthcare system. The data shows that our results are worse than other nations and costs way more. We pay a high price for our poorly performing healthcare system.
Note that Dr. Sachs’s testimony is even more powerful if you can see the graphs he displays during his testimony. Here is a link to his testimony on YouTube: Video Testimony of Jeffrey Sachs.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Sachs uses data to illustrate how bad the U.S. Healthcare system is compared to other wealthy nations.
This is episode 74, "Highlights from the House Oversight Committee Hearing on Medicare for All."
The House Oversight and Reform Committee had a hearing on “Examining Pathways to Universal Health Coverage,” and Medicare for All was a large part of that discussion. In this episode I highlight the testimony of a Representative and witnesses who explain why they support Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as a variety of people discuss our harmful healthcare system.
This episode is late because I was sick this past week. Hopefully, that won't happen again.
This is episode 73, “Some Survey Results on Why Having Health Insurance Doesn’t Mean Squat.”
In this episode, I discuss a recent survey that shows why having health insurance often doesn’t mean squat, and I review the survey results that show some of the economic harm caused by the U.S. health insurance system.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss how this survey illustrates the economic harm caused by the U.S. health insurance system and how Medicare for All provides the solution to this problem.
This is episode 72, "Well-Known and Lesser-Known Problems With Our Healthcare System."
In this episode, I discuss some of the well-known and lesser-known problems with the United States healthcare system.
I start by discussing that federal law requires the states to seek reimbursement from Medicaid beneficiaries’ estates upon their deaths. While this usually applied to Medicaid beneficiaries who were 55 or older when they received benefits, it can also apply to beneficiaries of any age under certain circumstances.
I also discuss the unnecessary deaths caused by our healthcare system, the high costs of our healthcare system, other economic effects of our healthcare system, how insurance companies deny care, and how doctors often need to fight the insurance companies to get patients the treatments and medications they need.
I end with a discussion of a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report that documents some of the benefits that Medicare for All would provide.
Do not miss this episode as I discuss information you need to know about the United States healthcare system and Medicare for All.
More information on the topics discussed in this episode can be found at these links:
Information about Medicaid recovering costs can be at these two links: Medicaid Estate Recovery: Long-Term Care Benefits Aren’t Necessarily ‘Free’ and How Medicaid Recovers the Cost of Long-Term Care From Your Estate After You Die.
The referenced Families USA report can be found here: Catastrophic Cost of Uninsurance: COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Closely Tied to America’s Health Coverage Gaps.
The referenced Commonwealth Fund report can be found here: U.S. Health Insurance Coverage in 2020: A Looming Crisis in Affordability.
The referenced CBO report can be found here: Economic Effects of Five Illustrative Single-Payer Health Care Systems.
This is episode 71, "Medicare for All Changes That Will Make Your Life Better."
In this episode, I describe some changes under Medicare for All that will make lives better and why these changes make Medicare for All the best choice for better healthcare in the United States.
Do not miss this episode as I explain how Medicare for All will make your life better.
Note that this podcast quotes from episode 23, "The Average Family Is Going to Get Much More and Pay Much Less."
This is episode 70, “How a Conservative Came to Support Single-payer Healthcare.”
My guest, Joseph Q Jarvis, MD, MSPH, received his medical and public health training at the University of Utah School of Medicine. His career includes time as a family doctor at a community health center, the state health officer for Nevada, a public health physician for state and federal agencies, a physician consultant with a national practice, and a specialist in occupational lung disease at a tertiary care center. Dr. Jarvis has seen American health care across the entire spectrum of care.
Thirty years ago Dr. Jarvis came to the realization that American health care fails to deliver quality care at a reasonable price, and that Americans are suffering from society wide health insecurity. Since then he has done everything he could think of to help all Americans realize how our health system is failing us and what we can do about it. He shares his conclusions with anyone who will listen, or read his book “The Purple World: Healing the Harm in American Health Care.”
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Jarvis explains how and why he came to support Medicare for All.
Please note that there was a connection problem that may have affected sound quality.
Dr. Jarvis’s website can be found here.
His book, “The Purple World: Healing the Harm in American Health Care,” can be purchased here.
A review of his book can be found here.
This is episode 69, “Highlights, Volume 3.”
In this episode, I wish to honor Martin Luther King Jr. by highlighting important clips from Medicare for All Explained about racism in the U.S. healthcare system and how Medicare for All can reduce the racism that exists in health care.
Do not miss this episode as I highlight how Medicare for All can reduce racism in the United States healthcare system.
The podcasts referenced in this episode are:
- Episode 28: Racial Inequities in Health Care
- Episode 48: Covid and Racial Inequities
- Episode 41: Racism, Health Care, and Medicare for All
This is episode 68, “How Tragedy Created a Single-Payer Advocate.”
My guest, Scott Desnoyers, became a supporter and advocate for single-payer health care after tragedy struck his family, and his story provides a powerful lesson on why we need Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. Desnoyers explains how tragedy caused him to become an advocate for Medicare for All.
Note: As near as I can tell, the numbers from two reports may have been conflated. A Yale study published in February 2020 stated that 68,000 lives would be saved by Medicare for All. Here is the link: https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(19)33019-3/fulltext.
That study also said, "We also project that the Medicare for All Act would save more than 68 500 (68,000) lives every year, compared with the status quo. If the Affordable Care Act were to be repealed, we would expect an additional annual loss of more than 38 500 (38,500) lives. Compared with health-care access before the Affordable Care Act, the legislation proposed by Senator Sanders, would save 107 000 (107,000) lives annually." I think that is where the 100,000 figure came from.
As for 26,000 dying from lack of insurance, I think that figure came from a Families-USA study from June 2012. Here is the link: https://familiesusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Dying-for-Coverage.pdf. That study said, "Across the nation, 26,100 people between the ages of 25 and 64 died prematurely due to a lack of health coverage in 2010.
This is episode 67, "Why We Need Universal Continuous Healthcare From Birth."
My guest, Judith Albert, MD, is a retired physician in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania. She practiced in academic and private practice settings for over 30 years in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Dr. Albert joined Physicians for a National Health Program in 2016 and has been active in her local chapter. She was elected to the national board of directors in August of 2021.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Albert explains why we need a universal continuous healthcare system in the United States.
This is episode 66, “Our Insidious and Nefarious Healthcare System.”
My guest, Scott Goldberg, MD, is an assistant professor in General Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an attending primary care physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, where he sees patients and teaches residents in the Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine program.
Dr. Goldberg has worked closely with Physicians for a National Health Program since starting medical school. He started a student chapter at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and became a student delegate to PNHP’s Board of Directors from 2013-2016. From 2016-2019, he was a member of PNHP's executive committee and Board of Directors. He was reelected to the Board in 2021.
Do not miss this episode and Dr. Goldberg describes why he supports Medicare for All and our insidious and nefarious healthcare system.
This is episode 65, "Our Healthcare Mess and Why We Need Medicare for All."
In this episode, I describe some of the current problems with the United States healthcare system, what is Medicare for All, and how Medicare for All can solve those problems.
This episode is a good primer on problems with the U.S. healthcare system and why we need Medicare for All. It should not be missed.
Also please note that there will be no podcast on October 15, 2021. Medicare for All Explained will resume on November 1, 2021.
This is episode 64, "Highlights, Volume 2."
In this episode, I take clips that highlight important points about Medicare for All.
I highlight:
- Why single-payer healthcare was a revelation for Stephanie Nakajima.
- How fire departments provide a good example of why we need public funding for healthcare. Dr. George Bohmfalk describes how fire departments came about and how that relates to health care and Medicare for All.
- How the experience of Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, led her to support Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as I highlight these important points about Medicare for All.
The podcasts referenced in this episode are:
- Episode 15: A Revelation
- Episode 7: Putting Out the Fire With Medicare for All
- Episode 12: When You’ve Got a For-Profit System, True Care Goes Out the Window
This is episode 63, “Entrepreneurs and Medicare For All."
My guest, Prof. Jerome Katz, is an internationally recognized expert on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education. He currently is the Director of Saint Louis University’s highly ranked entrepreneurship program.
From a background in his family’s and his own business in Memphis, Prof. Katz went onto obtain degrees from Rhodes College, the University of Memphis, and Harvard, culminating in a PhD from Michigan. He has been quoted in more than 200 articles in the major magazines in business and entrepreneurship, as well as the major American newspapers, and has had a lifelong interest in developing peoples’ potential.
Do not miss this episode as Prof. Katz examines how entrepreneurs and the small business community are reacting to Medicare for All.
This is episode 62, “Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice.”
My guest, Dr. Ashley Duhon, is a current second year Ob/Gyn resident working in the Bronx borough of New York City. She received her medical training from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She is a current board member of the New York Metro Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.
As a student, she served on the Students for a National Health Program National Board. She is an avid advocate for Medicare for All and is particularly dedicated to the inclusion of full-spectrum reproductive healthcare services in the fight towards a universal and equitable healthcare system for all.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Duhon explains how reproductive justice relates to women’s health.
Note: SisterSong is the organization that originally created and defined the term “Reproductive Justice.”
This is episode 61, “To Be or Not to Be Health Insurance, That Is the Tricare Question.”
My guest Miryam Weisberg is a mother of two and lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Disabled by a rare genetic disorder, her health relies on Tricare and the military medical system, to which she has access as an earned benefit of her husband's career as an active duty officer. Previous to becoming disabled, Miryam had a career as a technical writer and now enjoys homeschooling her children and doing needlecrafts.
Do not miss this episode as Mrs. Weisberg describes her struggles to get medical treatment for her genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, under Tricare.
This is episode 60, "Highlights, Volume 1."
In this episode, I take clips that highlight important points about Medicare for All.
I highlight:
- What Medicare for All is
- Why the public option won't work
- Why our current healthcare system is not affordable
- Why you can't be sure that insurance clerks are giving you accurate information
- How insurance companies arbitrarily make patients change medications
- How Medicare for All helps prevent the spread of disease and protects public health
Do not miss this episode as I highlight these important points about Medicare for All.
The podcasts referenced in this episode are:
- Episode 1: Medicare For All, An Overview
- Episode 3: The Manual
- Episode 5: Peace of Mind
- Episode 8: The Economics of Health Care, Part 1: The Problem – Our Current Health Care System Is Unaffordable - I also recommend listening to Episode 9: The Economics of Health Care, Part 2: The Solution – Medicare for All after hearing Episode 8.
- Episode 23: The Average Family Is Going to Get Much More and Pay Much Less
This is episode 59, “Medicaid Expansion, Missouri, and the Will of the People.”
My guest, Traci Gleason, is Vice President, External Relations for the Missouri Budget Project. Before joining the Missouri Budget Project, she worked on public policy issues at all levels of government, federal, state, and local. Ms. Gleason also worked as a federal representative for the State of California, held positions with the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, and worked for the City of Kansas City, Missouri.
Ms. Gleason earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of California-Berkeley and Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Mathematics from Creighton University.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Gleason explains how Medicaid Expansion would help Missourians and would save the state money.
This is episode 58, “What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, and How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 2.“
My guest, Diane Archer, is founder and president of Just Care USA, an independent digital media hub that focuses on health and financial issues facing boomers and their parents. Ms. Archer serves on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Board, and is the past chair of the Board of Consumer Reports. She began her career in health advocacy in 1989 as founder and president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service organization dedicated to ensuring that older and disabled Americans get the health care they need. Ms. Archer received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
In Part 1, we discussed problems with Medicare, Medigap or Supplemental plans, and how Medicare Advantage puts you at a disadvantage.
Part 2 discusses problems with direct contracting, changes to improve Medicare, and how seniors would benefit from Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Archer discusses how to improve Medicare and how seniors would benefit from Medicare for All.
This is episode 57, “What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, and How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 1.“
My guest, Diane Archer, is founder and president of Just Care USA, an independent digital media hub that focuses on health and financial issues facing boomers and their parents. Ms. Archer serves on the Brown University School of Public Health Advisory Board, and is the past chair of the Board of Consumer Reports. She began her career in health advocacy in 1989 as founder and president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service organization dedicated to ensuring that older and disabled Americans get the health care they need. Ms. Archer received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.
My interview with Ms. Archer covers two episodes, 57 and 58. This episode discusses problems with Medicare, Medigap or Supplemental plans, and how Medicare Advantage puts you at a disadvantage. Part 2, available on June 15th, discusses problems with direct contracting, changes to improve Medicare, and how seniors would benefit from Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Archer discusses critical information that every senior and their children need to know about Medicare.
This is episode 56, “How Medicare For All Would Benefit People With Disabilities and the LGBTQIA Community.”
My guest, Rosie Bean, has been politically engaged from an early age. They are a part of the LGBTQIA community and a disabled individual. This has made the fight for justice personal for Rosie. They started out as a moderate liberal Democrat, but had a political awakening that caused them to become more progressive. Rosie started their own political group called FLIP, “Feminists, Liberals, Independents & Progressives,” and is an activist for Medicare for All.
Do not miss this episode as Rosie discusses how getting on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) dramatically changed their life and how people with disabilities and the LGBTQIA Community would benefit from Medicare for All.
This is episode 55, "Racism Is a Public Health Threat."
My guest, Ronald Wyatt, MD, is a board-certified Internist and practiced medicine for over twenty years in St. Louis, Missouri, and Huntsville, Alabama. He was the first Black chief resident at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Dr. Wyatt co-chairs the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Equity Advisory Group and is faculty for the IHI Pursuing Equity Initiative.
Do not miss this episode and Dr. Wyatt discusses why racism is threat to public health and what can be done to end it.
Note, this is the editorial that is referenced in this episode, "Opinion: The health-care industry doesn’t want to talk about this single word."
This is episode 54, “Getting a State Medical Society to Support Medicare for All.”
My guest, Jane Katz Field, MD, is a retired pediatrician. She has been a Clinical Instructor in pediatrics at the University of Vermont School of Medicine and a clinical instructor or professor at other medical schools. In addition, Dr. Katz Field has worked for the New Jersey State Health Department.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Katz Field discusses her successful effort to get the Vermont Medical Society to pass a resolution supporting Medicare for All.
Note, information about the resolution can be found here, and the submitted resolution can be found here.
This is episode 53, "Health Disparities in the US Before And After the Pandemic."
My guest, Monica Maalouf, MD, is a primary care internist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. She went to medical school at the University of Minnesota and completed her residency training at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. Her medical interests include HIV care and women's health, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. Dr. Maalouf is Co-president of Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP) Illinois and an active member of the Illinois Single-Payer Coalition.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Maalouf discusses disparities in the U.S. health care system.
This is episode 52, “How We Can Meet the Mental Health Needs of Children and Adolescents.”
My guest, Claire Cohen, MD, is an African-American psychiatrist who specializes in children and adolescents, and has practiced in Pittsburgh since 1984. She did her General Psychiatry Residency at the University of Chicago. Dr. Cohen then moved to Pittsburgh to do her Child and Adolescent Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh’s Western Psychiatric Institute, fell in love with Western Pennsylvania, and has practiced there ever since. She has worked in a variety of settings, including community mental health clinics, partial hospitals, school-based settings, and she currently works in an inpatient hospital setting.
Dr. Cohen has always been active in her community and in fighting for Medicare For All as a member of Physicians For A National Health Program and the Western PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Cohen explains why our current health care system is not meeting the needs of people who need mental health treatment and how Medicare for All could fix many of the problems.
This is episode 51, “Public Option, Unions, Obligation, Part 2.“
My guest, James McGee, has spent his career in and around collectively bargained benefit plans, especially health care plans. He has primarily worked on union benefit plans, which are technically known as Taft-Hartley plans.
Mr. McGee recently retired after 17 years working for the Transit Employees' Health & Welfare Fund as its Executive Director. The Fund provides the health care benefits for the active and retired members of ATU Local 689 employed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). In this role, he become acutely aware of the deficiencies of our current health care system and began to take an active role in organizations advocating for reform, especially a single-payer solution.
Mr. McGee is on the Steering Committee of the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer, the Montgomery County Chapter of Healthcare-NOW, and on the Board of Directors of Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN).
In Part 1, we discussed problems with the public option. Part 2 discusses how unions would benefit from Medicare for All and why health care is an obligation.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. McGee discusses how unions would benefit from Medicare for All and why health care is an obligation.
This is episode 50, “Public Option, Unions, Obligation, Part 1.“
My guest, James McGee, has spent his career in and around collectively bargained benefit plans, especially health care plans. He has primarily worked on union benefit plans, which are technically known as Taft-Hartley plans.
Mr. McGee recently retired after 17 years working for the Transit Employees' Health & Welfare Fund as its Executive Director. The Fund provides the health care benefits for the active and retired members of ATU Local 689 employed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). In this role, he become acutely aware of the deficiencies of our current health care system and began to take an active role in organizations advocating for reform, especially a single-payer solution.
Mr. McGee is on the Steering Committee of the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer, the Montgomery County Chapter of Healthcare-NOW, and on the Board of Directors of Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN).
My interview with Mr. McGee covers two episodes 50 and 51. This episode discusses problems with the public option. Part 2, available on March 1st, discusses how unions would benefit from Medicare for All and why health care is an obligation.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. McGee explains why the public option is bad for the public.
This is episode 49, “A Local Resolution Supporting Medicare For All.”
My guest, Holly Hatcher, is a registered nurse in Madison, Wisconsin, and is a Dane County Board Supervisor. She is a mother, grandmother, activist, and Medicare for All Advocate.
Ms. Hatcher was instrumental in passing a local resolution in Dane County that supported Medicare for All and was approved on January 7, 2021.
Do not miss the episode as Ms. Hatcher describes why we need Medicare for All and why she wanted a local resolution supporting it.
This is episode 48, “Covid and Racial Inequities.”
My guest, Susan Rogers, MD, FACP, is the president of Physicians for a National Health Program. She is recently retired, but continues helping people as a volunteer attending hospitalist and internist at the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Illinois. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Rush University, and previously was the co-director of medical student programs for the Department of Medicine at Stroger Hospital. She has received numerous teaching awards from Stroger Hospital and Rush University.
Dr. Rogers is a member and Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), a member of the Society of General Internal Medicine and the National Medical Association.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Rogers describes the racial inequities revealed by the pandemic in our current healthcare system and what can be done to address them.
This is episode 47, “The U.S. Pandemic Response and How to Improve It.”
My guest, James G. Kahn, MD, MPH, is Emeritus Professor in the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, the Institute for Global Health Sciences, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. He has published widely on the cost and cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention and treatment in the developing world, as well as on other health conditions.
Dr. Kahn researches and educates on the costs and financing of single payer / Medicare-for-All. In 2005, he quantified that U.S. health care administration costs funded through private insurance account for nearly 25% of the costs of physician and hospital care. In 2014, he led a team that estimated potential savings of at least $400 billion per year from simplifying insurance-related administration in the U.S.
Dr. Kahn also served for two years as President of the California chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.
Do not miss the episode as Dr. Kahn discusses our response to the pandemic and how we can improve our response in the future.
This is episode 46, “Medicaid Is Helpful; Medicare for All Would Be Better.”
My guest, Emily Leonard, is a Health Policy Analyst for Medicaid for the state of Maryland. Her work focuses on developing and implementing Medicaid programs to meet the unique needs of the state’s residents. She received her Master’s degree in Public Health Practice and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ms. Leonard grew up in a rural town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and is passionate about rural health advocacy and Medicare for All.
Do not miss the episode as Ms. Leonard discusses why Medicaid is helpful and Medicare for All would be better.
This is episode 45, “Falling Back in Love With Clinical Practice.”
My guest, Anna Stratis, MD, is a Canadian-trained family physician with a passion for working with people in communities and improving healthcare and quality of life. She has a broad spectrum of experience in adult and pediatric primary care. Dr. Stratis has practiced in Canada and the United States. She volunteered at a New York City hospital during the COVID-19 crisis in the spring. She recently went back to Canada for some clinical work and shares her experience practicing medicine in Canada and the U.S.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Stratis discusses why a single-payer Medicare for All system is better for physicians and patients.
This is episode 44, "Why We Need the Medicare for All Act."
My guest, Stephanie Kang, is the Health Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Representative Jayapal introduced H.R. 1384, the Medicare for All Act of 2019, and Ms. Kang assisted in finalizing that bill.
Ms. Kang has an MS in Global Health from Northwestern University and is a third-year Doctor of Public Health candidate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her professional background includes: drug development for neurodegenerative diseases, management of a health organization in Kenya, and coordination for clinical research and quality improvement at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Additionally, Stephanie has worked on access to health care projects in India, Mexico, and at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Kang discusses how and why H.R. 1384 was created.
Correction, Oct. 16, 2020: Ms. Kang is the Health Policy Advisor for Rep. Jayapal, not the Health Policy Fellow as previously stated.
This is episode 43, "Disaster Preparedness and COVID-19."
My guest, Karl Kim, is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Director of the graduate program in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
Prof. Kim is currently director of the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, authorized by the U.S. Congress to develop and deliver FEMA certified training courses for underserved and at-risk communities on natural hazards, mitigation, and urban planning. The Center has trained more than 50,000 first responders, emergency managers, and leaders in 300 communities across the world.
In addition, Prof. Kim is Editor-in-Chief of Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Elsevier) and is editing a 10-volume series on disaster risk reduction and resilience (Routledge). He has also led research and training programs in Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia.
Do not miss this episode and Prof. Kim discusses how the U.S. responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is episode 42, “State Level Medicare for All: Is It Possible?”
My guest, Matthew Lawrence, J.D., is an Associate Professor of Law at Emory University, and specializes in health care finance, administrative law, and addictions. He has written widely on these subjects with articles published or forthcoming in several prominent law journals.
In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Lawrence possesses a wealth of experience in the federal government. Previously, he has worked on health care regulatory issues during the Obama and Trump Administrations as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Federal Programs Branch. He most recently served as a special legal advisor to the US House of Representatives Budget Committee (Majority).
Do not miss this episode as Prof. Lawrence discusses whether Medicare for All could be implemented at the state level.
This is episode 41, “Racism, Health Care, and Medicare for All.”
My guest, Sanjeev Sriram, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician in Southeast Washington, DC, and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sriram is the Senior Advisor on Medicaid for Social Security Works, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and expanding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. At Social Security Works, he leads a campaign called “All Means All,” dedicated to making racial equity a cornerstone of Medicare For All. And Dr. Sriram is also “Dr. America,” a Health Justice Correspondent for We Act Radio, where he writes op-eds and creates innovative media to draw connections between health policy, inequity, and social determinants of health.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Sriram discusses Masks for America, the All Means All campaign, and why Medicare for All is a necessary step to address racism in health care.
This is episode 40, "Join the Fight."
My guest, Chrissy Holt, has a Masters of Science in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and is a seasoned businesswoman who has lived or worked in North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Australia, and England. Her 30-year career has varied from CareerBuilder to Disney Institute now, and she has held multiple leadership positions. Her role the Disney Institute aligns to her purpose of creating a better workplace for workers
Ms. Holt currently lives in Maryland. She considers raising her children the most significant accomplishment of her life. In 1995, her son was born was born with severe hemophilia A and declared uninsurable. His birth with a pre-existing condition immediately propelled her into volunteer advocacy.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Holt discusses how her experience with her son’s hemophilia led her to become an advocate for universal healthcare.
This is episode 39, “How Medicare Integrated Hospitals.” It is a special episode to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the passage of Medicare on July 30, 1965.
My guest, Dr. Barbara Berney, MPH, PhD, produced the documentary, “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution.” The film describes how the creation of Medicare was used to desegregate thousands of hospitals in a few months.
Her diverse experience in public health includes working as a frontline health worker in Watts for the Los Angeles County Health Department, as a policy analyst with the United Mine Workers Health and Retirement Funds and with the federal government.
Dr. Berney is a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. health care system. She is Emeritus Associate Professor at the City University of New York School of Public Health, and holds an MPH in Health Administration from UCLA and a PhD in Public Policy from Boston University where she was a Pew Scholar.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Berney discusses how Medicare was used to integrate hospitals and the lessons that provides for today.
Note, information about the “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution” can be found at here, and you can purchase the film here.
This is episode 38, “Health Inequality and Physical Structure.”
My guest, Gracie Himmelstein, and her sister, Kathryn Himmelstein, MD, cowrote a paper, "Inequality Set in Concrete," which examines how unequal hospital facilities and capital assets contribute to ongoing racial disparities in health.
Gracie is an MD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a PhD candidate in Demography and Social Policy at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. She received her MA in Demography from Princeton in 2019.
Do not miss this episode as Gracie discusses how ongoing differences in physical structures and capital assets contribute to worse health outcomes in minorities.
This is episode 37, “A Living Wage Home Cleaning Company and COVID-19.”
My guest, Aaron Seyedian, is originally from a small town in Western New York and has lived in the Washington, DC area for nearly 15 years. He created Well-Paid Maids to help bolster the living-wage movement by demonstrating that living-wage businesses can be successful in traditionally low-paying industries. Prior to founding Well-Paid Maids, Aaron worked in management consulting and international development."
Do not miss this episode as Aaron discusses creating a business, providing a living wage, good health benefits for his employees, Medicare for All, and the effects of COVID-19 on his business.
This is episode 36, "We don’t have a health care system in the United States."
My guest, Prof. Daniel Skinner, Ph.D., teaches health policy at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He covers Medicaid reform, Medicare financing, and issues surrounding creating a health care system that covers everybody while providing quality care that is affordable. Prof. Skinner earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in political science from City University of New York.
Prof. Skinner also hosts the podcast "Prognosis Ohio” with WCBE, 90.5 FM, in Columbus, Ohio. The podcast discusses health care, health policy, and health politics in Ohio, and other issues that relate to health outcomes such as food, housing, addiction, and mental health.
Do not miss the episode as Prof. Skinner discusses why we don’t have a health care system in the United States and how we can get the system we want.
This is episode 35, "Racial Inequities: COVID-19 has essentially ripped the cover off of some of the deepest cracks in our current healthcare system."
My guest, Dr. Ashley Duhon, is a recent New Orleans area medical school graduate.
Over the past four years of medical school, she has been active with Students for a National Health Program, also known as SNaHP, on the local and national levels. She co-founded the SNaHP chapter at her medical school and has held national leadership positions within SNaHP, serving on the National Board for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Most recently, she has worked on a campaign alongside a coalition of progressive organizations in New Orleans resulting in the unanimous passage of a resolution in support of Medicare for All by the New Orleans City Council.
In July, Dr. Duhon will begin her residency in OB/GYN in the Bronx borough of New York.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Duhon describes how COVID-19 exposes racial disparities in our current healthcare system.
This is episode 34, “An Ongoing Issue: Drug Prices and Supplies Before and During the Pandemic.”
My guest, Shannon Rotolo, has her doctorate in pharmacy and is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine. She manages high cost specialty drugs that are complex to administer. Dr. Rotolo precepts pharmacy students at the University at Buffalo, University of Illinois at Chicago, and several other schools of pharmacy located in the Chicagoland area for introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Rotolo describes the problems with drug supplies and high drug prices before and during this pandemic.
This is episode 33, “Patients Are Just Pawns in the Game.”
My guest, Anna Stratis, MD, is a Canadian-trained family physician with a passion for working with people in communities and improving healthcare and quality of life. She has a broad spectrum of experience in adult and pediatric primary care. Dr. Stratis has practiced in Canada and the United States and is volunteering at a New York City hospital during the current COVID-19 crisis.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Stratis describes the conditions volunteering at a hospital in New York City, the differences between working as a physician in Canada and the U.S., and why the Canadian system is better for patients and physicians.
This is episode 32, “If There's an Argument for Medicare for All That Ought to Convince Everyone, It's This Epidemic.”
My guest, David Himmelstein, MD, is a Distinguished Professor of public health and health policy in the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College.
Dr. Himmelstein is a co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. He has authored or coauthored more than 100 journal articles and three books, and is a top expert on the waste and abuse of our current health care system.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Himmelstein describes the United States’ devastating response to the coronavirus pandemic and how a single-payer Medicare for All system would help.
Episode 32 Transcript
This is episode 31, "The Tremendous Good a Publicly Sponsored Insurance System Can Do."
My guest, Donald Berwick, MD, has a Masters of Public Policy and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. He is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), an organization that Dr. Berwick co-founded and led as President and CEO for 18 years. He is considered one of the nation's leading authorities on health care quality and improvement.
Dr. Berwick is a pediatrician by background, and he has served as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy at the Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, and on the staff of several hospitals. He has also served as chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In July, 2010, President Obama appointed Dr. Berwick to the position of Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and he served as Administrator until December, 2011.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Berwick makes the case for single-payer Medicare for All that is patient-centered.
Episode 31 Transcript
This is episode 30, "Plain Economics: The Main Problem With Rural Health Care."
My guest, Robert Devereaux, MD, practices family medicine in Pearisburg, Virginia, a rural town near the West Virginia border. He received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Family Physicians. Dr. Devereaux has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Devereaux describes the problems that rural residents have getting health care and how Medicare for All can help.
Episode 30 Transcript
This is episode 29, “Retrospective Denials.”
My guest, Martha Gaines, is a 1983 cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and received her LL.M in 1993 from the same school. Her thesis is titled "I do make house calls--Effective Legal Representation From Our Clients' Perspective." Ms. Gaines is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia and the New York State Defender's Association in Albany, New York.”
Ms. Gaines and several colleagues founded The Center for Patient Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin in September 2000. The Center trains students from the schools of Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Social Work to provide advocacy to cancer patients. Ms. Gaines teaches a Patient Advocacy course where students are joined in interdisciplinary teams that help cancer patients understand their diagnoses, get the information necessary to make critical treatment decisions, and support patient's efforts to obtain the treatment they need. The Center also conducts research about issues relevant to patient care and health care delivery from the patient's perspective.
Do not miss the episode as Ms. Gaines explains what retrospective denials are, and why they are especially harmful to patients.
Here is the link to the JAMA article mentioned in the podcast, "Changing the Game of Prior Authorization, The Patient Perspective."
This is episode 28, “Racial Inequities in Health Care.”
My guest, Susan Rogers, MD, FACP, is the president-elect of Physicians for a National Health Program. She has recently retired, but continues helping people as a volunteer attending hospitalist and internist at the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Illinois. Previously, Dr. Rogers was the co-director of medical student programs for the Department of Medicine at Stroger Hospital. She is also an assistant professor of medicine at Rush University and an assistant professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University. She has received numerous teaching awards from Stroger Hospital, Rush University, and Rosalind Franklin University.
Dr. Rogers is a member and Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), and a member of the Society of General Internal Medicine and the National Medical Association.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Rogers describes the racial inequities in our current health care system system and what can be done to address them.
This is episode 27, “Stop Using Health Insurance Industry Language”
My guest, Ben Palmquist, is the Health Care Program Director for the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI). He does research, communications, and strategy to help grassroots organizations build power to win universal, publicly financed health care and to transform our economy and public policies to meet everyone's needs and put people ahead of profits.
Do not miss this episode as Mr. Palmquist describes how we use language developed by the health insurance companies to describe a publicly financed health care system.
Here is the link to the article mentioned in this podcast, "Parroting the Right."
This is episode 26, “Surprise Medical Bills”
My guest Mark Krasnoff, MD, is an internist in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins and teaches students and residents as a member of the clinical faculty for Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis University School of Medicine.
Dr. Krasnoff has also held positions as President of the Medical Staff of SSM Rehabilitation Hospital and as chair of the peer review committee at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis.
He has been involved with Physicians for Social Responsibility since 1987 and with Physicians for a National Health Program since 2012.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Krasnoff describes the problems and anxiety caused by surprise medical bills.
This is episode 25, “Insurance Companies Are Practicing Medicine, And They Are Doing It in a Way That If a Doctor Did That, They Would Absolutely Lose Their License.”
My guest, William Bennett, MD, is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Urology at Indiana University. In addition, Dr. Bennett has an M.S. in both Computer Science and Health Informatics and has written and co-written several papers.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Bennett describes the problems of letting untrained insurance clerks make medical decisions, other problems with our corporate-run health care system, and why we need to end our corporate-run health care system.
Correction: In this episode I said, “In my most recent podcast episode before this, I had a doctor on, Dr. Victoria Dooley.” That was “Episode 23: The Average Family Is Going to Get Much More and Pay Much Less,” which was two podcast episodes before this.
This is episode 24, “Why Drug Prices Are So Expensive in the United States.”
My guest Donald Light explains why drug prices are so high in the United States and the deficiencies in our current drug regulation system.
Donald Light is a Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Sociology at Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a guest researcher at Princeton and New York University. Prof. Light received the Edmund Pellegrino Medal in Bioethics for 2016 and the Distinguished Career Award for 2013 from the American Sociological Association. On the Google citation h-index, Prof. Light ranks in the 96th percentile.
Do not miss this episode as Prof. Light describes the problems of our current drug regulatory system and explains why our drug prices are so high.
For more information about drug regulation and pricing, check out Prof. LIght’s website, http://www.pharmamyths.net/.
Prof. Light’s book, “The Risks of Prescription Drugs,” can be found here and here.
This is episode 23, "The Average Family Is Going to Get Much More and Pay Much Less."
In this episode, my guest, Victoria Dooley, MD, describes the problems patients and doctors face under our current health care system and how Medicare for All will solve those problems.
Dr. Dooley is a board-certified Family Medicine physician, a member of Physicians for a National Health Program, and a health care activist.
She has appeared on numerous live radio and television broadcasts, and she was a weekly contributing medical expert on ABC WXYZ-TV news in Detroit for over two years. Dr. Dooley has published op-eds in the The New York Times and the HuffPost.
Do not miss this episode as Dr. Dooley describes the problems of our current health care system and how Medicare for All can solve them.
This is episode 22, “Mothers for Medicare for All – Part 2.”
In Part 2, my guest Kristen Grimm, founder of Mothers for Medicare for All, continues the conversation by explaining her decision to start Mothers for Medicare for All and her plans for the organization.
Do not miss this episode as Ms. Grimm continues her riveting and powerful story about her support of Medicare for All and her decision to start her own organization.
In episode 21, “Mothers for Medicare for All – Part 1,” my guest Kristen Grimm, founder of Mothers for Medicare for All, describes the struggles she and her family endured as they fought to get medical care for her son who suffers from a rare medical condition and has had 24 surgeries in his lifetime. Ms. Grimm describes how her experiences led her to support Medicare for All.
Ms. Grimm’s story is riveting and powerful. Please do not miss this episode.
In Part 2, to be released on Oct 15th, the conversation continues with Ms. Grimm as she explains her decision to start Mothers for Medicare for All and her plans for the organization.
This is episode 20, “Dealing with HIV.”
My guest, Kenyon Farrow, was named a "Modern Black History Hero" by Black Entertainment Television.
He is an award-winning writer, activist, and strategist. He has worked on local and national campaigns on issues related to criminalization/mass imprisonment, homelessness, health justice and LGBT rights.
Mr. Farrow is currently the senior editor with TheBody.com, a news and information site focused on HIV, LGBT health, and social justice, and serves on the board of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG).
Do not miss episode 20 as Mr. Farrow describes how our current health care system prevents people with HIV from getting necessary care and how Medicare for All would help them and would help reduce the transmission of HIV.
Please note that there was a connection problem during the interview that sometimes affected audio quality.
This is episode 19, “How Do We Meet the Needs of People Who Need Mental Health Services? Poorly!”
My guest, Doctor Leslie Gise, MD, is a psychiatrist who has practiced in New York City for 30 years, and then practiced in Hawaii for 24 years. She loves psychiatry, but quit practicing because of the intrusions of managed care. In Hawaii, she has worked in the public sector for 20 years treating disadvantaged people with severe mental illness. Half of them had substance use disorders as well.
Doctor Gise has served as the Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the John A Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. She has been on the faculty of medical schools for 48 years
Doctor Gise is a Past-President of two national professional organizations. She has reviewed for many journals and has many publications. She has made presentations all over the world and has been quoted extensively in the media.
Do not miss episode 19 as Dr. Gise describes how our current health care system fails to meet the needs of people who require mental health services and how Medicare for All can help.
This is episode 18, “We Can’t Truly Help People in This For-Profit System.”
My guest, Kristy Fogle, founded the Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition. She is an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant who works in the Baltimore, Maryland, area.
Ms. Fogle is a progressive healthcare activist working with Progressive Maryland and their National affiliate, People’s Action. She was one of several activists who were invited to sit in as official advocates in support of HR 1384 in the first ever Medicare for All Hearing by the House Rules Committee.
Do not miss episode 18 as Ms. Fogle describes the problems with our current health care system and why we need Medicare for All.
If you like more information about the Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition, check out their Facebook page.
This is episode 17, “Every Shift I Would See Patients Struggling for Their Care.”
My guest, Jonathan Michels, discusses how he came to support Medicare for All.
Jonathan Michels started working in a hospital transporting patients. He became a radiology technician and is currently taking premed courses for entry into medical school. Mr. Michels also works as a freelance journalist.
As a radiology technician, Mr. Michels discovered that people were often stressed about paying for medical care. This led him to become active in Students for a National Health Program and led him to co-organize a protest against the American Medical Association’s position against single-payer.
Do not miss episode 17 as Mr. Michels explains how his experiences caused him to become an activist for Medicare for All.
This is episode 16, “A Different Kind of Going Broke.”
My guest, Professor Neil Buchanan, discusses how our current health care system is destroying the economy and how single-payer Medicare for All would fix that.
Neil Buchanan is an economist and a professor of law. He is an expert on the federal budget and the budgeting process. Professor Buchanan recently accepted an offer to move from The George Washington University to the University of Florida, where he will hold an eminent scholar chair in tax law. His research focuses on government finances, debt, deficits, and obligations between generations.
Do not miss episode 16 as Professor Buchanan provides insight about the problems with our current health care system and how Medicare for All can solve them.
Please note that there was a connection problem during the interview, which sometimes affected audio quality.
This is episode 15, “A Revelation.” My guest, Stephanie Nakajima, discusses her personal experiences with health care systems in the United States, Japan, and Denmark.
Ms. Nakajima is the Director of Communications at Healthcare-NOW, which advocates for the United States to implement a single-payer health care system. She previously worked as writer, editor, and journalist in Tokyo and covered the Fukushima nuclear disaster and organized crime. She has also worked for the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Danish Refugee Council in Copenhagen.
Do not miss episode 15 as Ms. Nakajima experiences as a health care consumer clearly illustrate the benefits of national health programs and why we need single-payer Medicare for All.
This is episode 14, “Health Care in Rural America,”
My guest, Dina van der Zalm, discusses health care problems faced by rural Americans.
Ms. van der Zahm has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from New York University. After a brief stint with corporate America, she joined the Peace Corps. She worked in Lanzhou, China teaching English for two years on the edge of the Gobi Desert. When she completed her Peace Corps service, she moved to Missouri where sheattended the University of Missouri and received her MSW and Masters of Public Health in 2016.
She has been working as a Health Care Organizer at the Missouri Rural Crisis Center for three years.
Do not miss episode 14 as it discusses the unique and common problems that rural Americans have obtaining and affording health care.
This is episode 13, “We’ll Win by Building a Grassroots Movement.”
My guest, Max Cotterill, is a community organizer with the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United. He works on their Medicare for All organizing campaign. Mr. Cotterill previously worked as the Deputy Field Director of the Real Justice PAC, helped to start an organization called Knock Every Door, and worked on the national organizing staff of the Bernie 2016 campaign.
Do not miss episode 13 as it explains the most effective methods to build support for Medicare for All.
If you want to help make Medicare for All a reality, here is the link that was mentioned in this episode, https://medicare4all.org.
This is episode 12, “When You’ve Got a For-Profit System, True Care Goes Out the Window,” and it explains why nurses support Medicare for All.
My guest, Jean Ross, is a registered nurse and President of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States.
Ms. Ross is a passionate advocate for social justice. She grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota and has worked at the same medical center, Fairview Southdale Hospital, for 35 years.
Ms. Ross was chief steward at her hospital for 20 years, and she played a key role in merging several unions to form National Nurses United in 2009. National Nurses United is a leader and passionate advocate for Medicare for All.
Do not miss episode 12 as it explains the problems with our current health care system, why we need Medicare for All, and the false arguments against it.
If you want to help make Medicare for All a reality, here is the link that was mentioned in this episode, https://medicare4all.org. Any help will be appreciated.
This is episode 11, “Hearing Highlights.” On April 30, 2019, in Washington, DC, the House Committee on Rules held a historic hearing. It was the first ever hearing in Congress on Medicare for All. This episode highlights some of the major arguments that I think are likely to occur during the debate on Medicare for All.
As the debate over Medicare for All heats up, this episode should not be missed.
Episode 10 explains why seniors should support Medicare for All.
My guest is Alex Lawson, the Executive Director of Social Security Works. As Executive Director, Mr. Lawson coordinates education and advocacy operations that work to protect and enhance economic security for disadvantaged and at-risk populations while maintaining and improving Social Security and Medicare.
Do not miss episode 10 as it explains why seniors and everybody else should support Medicare for All.
Episode 9, “The Economics of Health Care - Part 2,” explains how a single-payer Medicare for All system would make health care affordable and available to everyone.
My guest is Gerald Friedman, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Friedman obtained his PhD in 1986 from Harvard University, and has published numerous books, papers, and articles. He has been researching the economics of health care for 15 years. Professor Friedman rejoins us in Part 2
In Part 1, we discussed why our current health care system is not affordable. In Part 2, Professor Friedman explains how Medicare for All would make health care affordable, provide more comprehensive coverage, and allow anyone to get the medical care they need without having to worry about cost.
Do not miss this episode as it explains how Medicare for All would relieve the financial stress of our current health care system and help individuals, businesses and the country.
Episode 8 explains why our current health care system is unaffordable.
My guest is Gerald Friedman, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Friedman obtained his PhD in 1986 from Harvard University and has published numerous books, papers, and articles. He has been researching the economics of health care for 15 years.
My interview of Professor Friedman covers two episodes, 8 and 9. This episode explains why we cannot afford our current health care system. Part 2, available on April 1st, explains how a single-payer Medicare for All system would make health care affordable and available to everyone.
Do not miss this episode. It powerfully explains why our current health care is bankrupting individuals and the county.
My episode 7 guest, Dr. George Bohmfalk, talks about the history of fire departments and the wild days when they were private. He explains why people decided that they needed public fire departments and why this history is relevant to the current debate surrounding health care.
Dr. Bohmfalk practiced neurosurgery in Texas. When he retired, he moved to North Carolina to be closer to his grandchildren. In 2017, he became involved with Health Care Justice, North Carolina, the Charlotte chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. He chairs Health Care Justice’s Education Committee/Speakers Bureau and has written several newspaper articles and editorials on Medicare for All.
Do not miss episode 7 for some interesting history, insight into the healthcare debate, and why Medicare for All is needed.
My guest on episode 6 is Richard Master, founder and CEO of MCS Industries. MCS is the leading supplier of picture frames and decorative mirrors in the United States.
Mr. Master started an investigation in 2013 to find out why MCS Industries faced double digit increases in health insurance premiums every year at renewal time. This investigation led him to start the Business Initiative for Health Policy (BIHP), an organization whose purpose is to advance the business and economic rationale for adopting a single-payer Medicare for All system in the United States. Please note that BIHP has produced some highly informative videos that can be found here.
If you want to find out why business needs to support Medicare for All and how high health care costs suppress wages, this episode is a must.
My guest for episode 5 is Wendell Potter. Mr. Potter previously worked as a public relations executive for two of the country’s largest health insurers, Humana and Cigna. He left Cigna in 2008 due to a crisis of conscience.
Since leaving Cigna, Mr. Potter has become a leading advocate for health care reform and a critic of the health insurance industry. He has disclosed the falsehoods the insurance companies use to boost profits, to keep many people uninsured and under-insured, and how they implement lobbying and marketing campaigns to quash any reforms that might threaten profits.
Mr. Potter has written three books. His first book, Deadly Spin, detailed the propaganda and tactics used by health insurance companies to protect their profits. His other two books are Obamacare, What’s in It for Me/What Everyone Needs to Know about the Affordable Care Act, and Nation on the Take, How Big Money Corrupts Democracy and What We Can Do About It.
“Peace of Mind” with Wendell Potter is an episode not to be missed.
Dr. Phil Verhoef, my episode 4 guest, gives listeners a compelling explanation as to why global budgets are the best way to fund Medicare for All.
Dr. Verhoef’s commitment to making sure that patients get the care they need while saving money makes this is an episode worth hearing.
My episode 3 guest is Dr. Nicte Mejia, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard.
Dr. Mejia makes interesting and important points. Among them are that Medicare for All should include long-term care, and that even doctors can struggle with an insurance company when a family member has a problem.
Listening to her experiences as a dedicated and compassionate physician will make you wonder why the United States tolerates a health care system that makes it so hard for patients to get the care they need.
In episode 2, my guest Dr. Richard Bruno explores the dire consequences of the current health care system in the United States based on his experiences as a physician and a person.
Dr. Bruno makes it clear that people suffer under the current health care system in the U.S. and how Medicare for All would end that suffering. His passion and clarity make this an episode that should not be missed.
Episode 1 gives an overview of Medicare for All. My guest, Dr. Ed Weisbart explains what Medicare for All is, and how it will benefit people, physicians, businesses, and the nation. Dr. Weisbart’s clear explanation make Medicare for All easy to understand.