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.

Medicare For All Explained

Our Healthcare Mess and Why We Need Medicare for All

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    

Highlights, Volume 2

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. 

Entrepreneurs and 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.” 

Women’s Health and 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.   

To Be or Not to Be Health Insurance, That Is the Tricare Question

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  

Highlights, Volume 1

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.  

Medicaid Expansion, Missouri, and the Will of the People

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. 

What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, and How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 2

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. 

What You Need To Know About Medicare, Medigap, Medicare (Dis)Advantage, And How Medicare for All Benefits Seniors, Part 1

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.

How Medicare For All Would Benefit People With Disabilities and the LGBTQIA Community

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."    

Racism Is a Public Health Threat

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. 

Getting a State Medical Society to Support Medicare for All

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. 

Health Disparities in the US Before And After the Pandemic

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.   

How We Can Meet the Mental Health Needs of Children and Adolescents

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. 

Public Option, Unions, Obligation, Part 2

This podcast explains why we need Medicare for All

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Medicare For All Explained

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