Geithner: Obama Admin. Saving Social Security

Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner explains how the Obama Administration is committed to making reforms to Social Security and Medicare in order to make them economically viable for the future. He mentioned how President Obama negotiated a $2 billion reduction in health care costs. (0:28)
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Doctor: CMS Barriers On Immunizing

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

Dr. Litjen Tan discusses CMS barriers to immunizing, and offers to switch vaccinations from part D to part B of Medicare whilst further protecting all adults based on the Vaccines for Children program. (0:42)
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Uwe Reinhardt on Pros and Cons of Medicare

Uwe Reinhardt at Health Action 2009 14th Annual Grassroots Meeting describes some of the ups and downs of public vs private health insurance. 0:02:20


Coffee Brown University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

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Medicare squeezing fee schedule for doctors

Norman Rogers, one of the plaintiffs in in a new lawsuit against the government’s Social Security and Medicare system comments on the conditions for doctors working withing the Medicare system. (0:33)
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Suing the goverment for having Medicare

Plaintiff in a new lawsuit against the government's Medicare system, Bryan Hall clarifies why he wants to drop out of the Medicare part A system rather than being a part of it. (0:46)
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McCain simply “out of touch” with Americans

The Democratic National Committee held a conference call and discussed Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) “disastrous” week on the campaign trail. McCain was supposed to strengthen his stance on his economic policy this week, but instead showed how “out of touch” he is with the challenges that America’s families are facing. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said that she was insulted on behalf of the people she represents by McCain’s words and actions. She explained that McCain doesn’t understand what Americans go through everyday just to make ends meet and how his support for more years of a Bush economy would be disastrous for American families.

Stabenow explained that McCain actually called social security a “disgrace’ when he has “a total lack of understanding” of what it really is. She also said that McCain’s approach on tax policy would make it impossible to balance the nation’s budget, something that needs to be done. McCain also failed to vote for the current medicare bill; he was the only senator to miss the vote which “is critical to the future of medicare.”

Stabenow said that people in Michigan are suffering and are not experiencing “a mental recession.” Since President Bush took office, three and a half million manufacturing jobs have been lost in Michigan alone, and the state is currently experiencing an unemployment rate of eight and a half percent. Stabenow explained that McCain fully supported Bush’s policies and that the people of Michigan “cannot take four more years of this.”

McCain’s economic advisor Phil Gramm said that Americans are “a nation of whiners,” yet Stabenow said that the people of Michigan are not hallucinating when they aren’t getting a paycheck, when they can’t pay their mortgage, and when they can’t put food on the table. Stabenow said that people are struggling as every single cost has gone up while wages have gone down. She claimed that McCain is simply not in touch with what is going on in the real world. Stabenow also declared her support for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and said that she is absolutely confident that he will make the changes that will help the country grow, and gets what the American population is going through.
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Democrats say, "come over and help us"

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) lists the many bills that are only two or three votes short of passing in the Senate at a press conference with Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.). She mentions the bills that could help the single working mother and elderly woman who testified at the conference, including lowering prices on medications under Medicare Part D and overriding the veto on stem cell research. (0:47)
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Senator Smith discusses why seniors are in jeopardy

Senator Smith explains how millions of seniors still haven't enrolled in the appropriate Medicare program and how eligibility for for such programs is in jeopardy due to their assets. (1:00)

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Senator Smith discusses senior needs on medicare

This morning there was a hearing discussing the Medicare program and the needs that it requires in order to further help seniors. Senator Smith (R-OR) was running the hearing in which many witnesses testified. (0:22)
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Eighty, The New Sixty-five?

The senior fellow at Project HOPE, Gail Wilensky, talks about the new retirement age and the cost of Medicare. (:55)
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Will Social Security be around in 2040?

Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy institute explains the annual Social Security trustees report for 2008 and the outlook of social security programs in the future. (11:18)
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HHS Secretary Leavitt says that even other countries with more socialized health care systems are trying to inject market forces

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, speaking at a press conference on the FY2009 budget, says that Medicare Advantage is an example of the kinds of market forces needed for Medicare in general. He also says that other countries, even those with more socialized healthcare systems, are looking for ways to include market forces in their programs. (0:31)
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HHS Secretary Leavitt says that Social Security is a math problem, while Medicare fixes require deeper social changes

Speaking at a press conference on the FY2009 budget, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says that Social Security is a math problem, but fixing Medicare will require deeper social changes. (0:23)
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Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Dr. Peter Orzsag, Director of CBO, Discuss Urgency of Health Care Spending Crisis at Budget Committee Hearing

Dr. Orszag reports on the potential for a severe crisis of health care spending and Chairman Conrad implores his fellow committee members to join him and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) in taking bipartisan action to resolve it. (1:11)
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