Inside E Street

Guests

Wyden E Street 215

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Ron Wyden was first elected to Congress in 1980 to represent Oregon’s 3rd District. Senator Wyden serves on the following committees: Finance, Intelligence, Aging, Budget and Energy and Natural Resources.

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Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Senator Bennett is on the Republican leadership team where he advises the leader on legislative strategy and policy priorities. As a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, and a member of the Joint Economic Committee, the Utah senator is at the center of national economic policy discussions.

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Len Nichols-Director, Health Policy Program, The New America Foundation

Health care economist Len Nichols directs the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation, which aims to expand health insurance coverage to all Americans while reining in costs and improving the efficiency of the overall health care system.

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David Certner-Legislative Policy Director, AARP

David Certner is the Legislative Counsel and Director of Legislative Policy, and is a member of AARP’s Government Relations senior leadership team. He has been with AARP since 1982.

Resources

The Healthy Americans Act

Senator Bennett’s page describing the Healthy Americans Act, with many links to news articles and analysis of the act.

Stand Tall for America

Ron Wyden’s issues website, with a special focus on changes in health care and the progress of The Healthy Americans Act

Healthy Americans Act

Full text and summary at the Library of Congress Thomas database

Inside E Street Archives

U.S. Health Care: New Rx?

Health care is increasingly expensive, whether or not you have insurance. More than 45 million Americans have no health care coverage. Bipartisan legislation called the “Healthy Americans Act” would offer care to the currently uninsured, and change how Americans pay for their health care.

Segments

E Street 215 Seg1

1. Senators Wyden and Bennett describe their bill.

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) talk about what’s wrong with our current health care system, and what The Healthy Americans Act would do to change it.

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2. The effect on middle class Americans and those who earn even less.

Senators Wyden and Bennett delve into the details of their health care plan, citing specifics about how middle class and lower-income Americans will be helped.

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3. Len Nichols and David Certner join the health care conversation.

The discussion opens up to include more details about whether health care will continue to be offered through employers in the new bill, and the effects on current government programs.

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4. Health care mandates, is this the right approach?

Nichols and Certner continue the discussion, with a focus on whether health care coverage should be mandated, what the tax implications of the new proposal are, and the possibilities of congress taking action.

Sheila

The Host

Through most of her distinguished reporting career, Sheilah Kast has focused on the economy and workplace and how they affect people's lives. Well known to viewers of public television, ABC News, and CNN, she has covered the White House and Congress.

Kast also reported on the Washington aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Her stories included an investigation of anthrax in the mails and the struggles of bereaved Pentagon families to secure benefits.

At The Washington Star, in her first reporting job, Kast covered financial regulation, taxes, and energy. Her expertise in these important issues eventually led her to start a national public-television show, "This Week in Business," which she hosted in association with Business Week magazine.

Ms. Kast is a skilled interviewer. She has often hosted NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and has her own current-affairs interview show on public radio in Maryland.

Contact Us

Inside E Street - AARP
Techworld Station
PO Box 50239
Washington, DC 20091-9998
E-mail: estreet@aarp.org


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