Medicare For All Explained

Covid and Racial Inequities

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.  

The U.S. Pandemic Response and How to Improve It

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.

Medicaid Is Helpful; Medicare for All Would Be Better

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. 

Falling Back in Love With Clinical Practice

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.

Why We Need the Medicare for All Act

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.

Disaster Preparedness and COVID-19

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.

 

State Level Medicare for All: Is It Possible?

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. 

Racism, Health Care, and Medicare for All

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.

 

Join the Fight

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.

How Medicare Integrated Hospitals

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.