Medicare For All Explained

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. 

 

Health Inequality and Physical Structure

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.

A Living Wage Home Cleaning Company and COVID-19

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.

 

We don’t have a health care system in the United States

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.

 

Racial Inequities: COVID-19 has essentially ripped the cover off of some of the deepest cracks in our current healthcare system

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.