Inside E Street
Where to Watch 'Inside E Street'
Guests
John Rother
As AARP’s Director of Legislation and Public Policy, John Rother is an authority on health care, long-term care, Social Security, pensions, and employment policies. Additionally, John serves on several boards and commissions, such as the Corporation for National Service, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Foundation for Accountability in Health Care, and the Institute of Medicine's National Roundtable on Health Care Quality.
Kerry Weems
With nearly 25 years worth of experience with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kerry Weems was appointed to serve as Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2007. Working with Secretary Michael Leavitt, Mr. Weems has played an essential role in fostering the use of information technology in health care.
Hedrick Smith
Hedrick Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and an Emmy Award-winning producer/correspondent who has worked with organizations such as The New York Times and PBS. Throughout his distinguished reporting career, Mr. Smith has covered a wide array of topics, including international relations, the Enron scandal, terrorism, education, poverty, and health care.
Resources
- For Medicare assistance, check out the official Medicare Web site.
- Find an SHIAP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) Center near you.
- Use the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder to decide which plan is best for you.
- AARP’s Medicare Interactive Counselor can guide you through your search for the best Medicare coverage for yourself.
- Curious about Congress’s thoughts on Medicare? MedPAC is an independent Congressional agency that advises the U.S. Congress on issues affecting Medicare.
Additional links
- Ask Ms. Medicare! (from the AARP Bulletin Today)
- Avalere Health is a private health care research and consultation firm.
- The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center, formerly the Senior Medicare Patrol.
- The Obama-Biden Plan for health care.
- See what else guest Hedrick Smith is working on.
'Inside E Street' Archives
Mission: Modifying Medicare
Despite the economic crisis, President-elect Barack Obama has promised to reform America’s health care system. Experts believe he will start with Medicare. What changes can we expect? AARP’s Director of Policy, John Rother; the acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Kerry Weems; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith join us.
Segments
Get What You Pay For
Medicare may be bankrupt within the next decade. One way to cut fees is to measure the quality of health care and pay accordingly. John Rother of the AARP and Kerry Weems of CMS discuss different tactics that could help Medicare users get better quality for less.
Know Your Plan
With so many Medicare Part D plans to choose from, selecting drug coverage can be overwhelming. John Rother and Kerry Weems talk about choosing a plan that works for you.
Why So High?
Is the high cost of prescription drugs getting you down? Hedrick Smith, John Rother, and Sheilah Kast discuss why the United States has some of the highest drug prices in the world.
Controversial Care
Medical Advantage Plans allow Medicare users to include an HMO or PPO in their insurance. Could adjustments to this policy help Medicare save money?
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
P.O. Box 50239
Washington, D.C. 20091-9998
E-mail: estreet@aarp.org
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