WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Issue: Health Care Reform in the US and Maine
Host: Jim Fisher
Engineer: Amy Browne

Program Topic: Health Care Reform in the US and Maine

Key Discussion Points:
a) What are the implications of the recent Supreme Court debate on the Affordable Care Act?
b) What drives the current health care system?
c) What alternatives do we have for paying for health care?

Guests:
A) Phil Caper, MD pcpcaper21@gmail.com
Held professorships in Medicine and Community Medicine at Dartmouth and the University of Massachusetts and has been an Adjunct Lecturer in Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health and a Research Associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

B) David White importedcarsvc@roadrunner.com Owner of MDI Imported Car Service in Bar Harbor. Advocate for health care reform. Candidate for Maine Senate District 35.

Call In Program: Yes
Political Broadcast: Yes

Standard Podcast [ 59:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Producer/Host: Jim Fisher

Studio Engineer: Amy Browne

Topic: Health Care Reform: What Next?

What are some of the main points of the new legislation?  What can we do to control costs?  How can we focus more on health and less on money?

Guests:

Dr. Philip Caper, Health Care Analyst;  Alice Knapp, Private Practive Lawyer and former Director of Consumer Health Care Division, Maine State;  Rep. Charles Priest, Maine State Legislature and Law Office of Charles Priest

Call in show

Standard Podcast [ 57:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Held at the Alamo Theater in Bucksport, Maine with a live audience and broadcast live. Panelists were:
Jerry Call, Midcoast Health Care Reform,
Phil Caper, MD and Single-Payer Advocate
Joel Allumbaugh, President of Maine Association of Health Underwriters, National Worksite Benefits Group
Tarren Bradgen, CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center
Jim Fisher of host of WERU’s “Common Health” moderated
Includes audience questions and comments.
Engineers: Joel Mann, Matt Murphy, Chris Stark
WERU Table: Sylvia Smith
Executive Producer: Amy Browne
(Note that this is in 2 parts— the longer segment is the 1st part)

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Producers/Hosts: Meredith DeFrancesco and Amy Browne
Topic: Single-payer universal health care. What is it? How would it address the current health care crisis in the U.S.? Why is there so much support? Who are the powerful opponents? Also: information about the Rally for Universal Health Care taking place on Saturday 5/30/09 in Augusta and other upcoming forums and programs.
Guests: Jerry Call, organizer/activist for Single-Payer and Dr. Phillip Caper, retired MD and Professor

FMI: www.mainehealthcarereform.org

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Producer/Host: Jim Fisher
Studio Engineer: Amy Browne
Topic: Letters to the President: Addressing America’s Health
How do we pay for health care? Why move to a single payer system? How can we manage costs?
Guests: Dr. Philip Caper, retired M.D. and Professor of Medicine; Jerry Call, co-founder of MidCoast Health Care Reform (www.midcoasthealthcarereform.org)
Call in show

Standard Podcast [ 59:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Executive Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Contributing Producer: Jim Fisher

Topic:  On today’s program WERU volunteer Jim Fisher talks with  Carrie Jones and Brian Langley, candidates for Maine’s 38th House District representing the greater Ellsworth area, and with Jerry Call and Sue Hufnagel of MidCoast Health Care Reform– who are promoting single payer health care policies.  They present their ideas on health care reform in Maine.

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Producer: Marge May,  Host: Ann Luther, Co-president, League of Women Voters of Maine

Topic: Case Study in Democracy:  Health Care Reform

How do things work that we don’t yet have universal coverage?  Other industrialized countries have universal health care systems which provide better health outcomes than ours at a lower cost.    What does our failure to enact meaningful health care reform say about the state of our democracy?  Describe the ongoing impasse within the Congress with respect to passage health care reform.  How is health care reform legislation is drafted?   Who are the key players?  How do the House and Senate differ in their treatment of legislation in this area?  Over the years, health care has become increasingly privatized and run for profit.  What role has this played in the decision making process?   How big a factor is campaign finance?   What can be done to get the health care reform most people want in the U.S.?

Guests:
Brian Biles, Professor in the Department of Health Policy at George Washington University.  In various roles, he has been helping to analyze and shape the nation’s health care policy for more than three decades. He spent much of that time in government service, having served as staff director of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health and later, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trish Riley, currently serving as the Director of the Maine Governor’s Office of Health Policy and Finance.  Prior to joining the Governor’s staff, she served as president of the nonprofit Center for Health Policy Development and the executive director of its National Academy for State Health Policy.  She has served in appointive positions under four Maine governors and in numerous other leadership positions nationally and here in Maine in the field of health policy.
FMI: www.lwvme.org

Standard Podcast [ 57:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download