E Street - Archives

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Health Care Reform on the Fast Track
"Inside E Street" looks at the high cost and inaccessibility of health care. We talk with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and ask him about the progress that Congress is making to solve the growing problem. Will a health-care reform bill pass this year? What does the bill look like now and what effect would it have on Americans? Guests include Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada. 

The Social Safety Net (Social Security)
The recession has pushed Social Security back into the headlines. Demand for benefits is up, while the surplus is going down. The 2009 report from Social Security's board of trustees predicted that spending from the trust fund may begin as soon as 2016. Trust fund? Surplus? There are lots of complicated concepts here, but between this segment and the links we provide, the status of the trust fund should all become much clearer to you. In this segment from the half-hour program, we see how Social Security jitters are affecting one family, and Sheilah talks about what some call the "intergenerational compact" with Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue. Guests include: Michael J. Astrue, who began his six-year term in 2007. Running an independent federal agency with more than 60,000 employees nationwide, he reports directly to President Obama.

House of Cards
The credit-card industry is under fire. The Federal Reserve is tightening the rules. Congress is passing legislation to end unfair and predatory credit-card practices. And President Obama called representatives of the credit industry to the White House, where he urged them to reform. We talk to leaders on Capitol Hill and to journalists who cover the credit-card industry. Guests include: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York,  the author of the “Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights.” Elected to Congress in 1992 to represent parts of New York City, she sits on the Financial Services Committee and chairs the Joint Economic Committee, Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel at the American Bankers Association. She follows federal policies affecting consumer credit, credit and debit cards, privacy, deposit accounts, and credit-card and check fraud; Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and serves on the Banking Committee; Joan Goldwasser, of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, who covers credit, banking, and money management and also writes about mutual funds and investing; and Nancy Trejos of The Washington Post. Before she became a financial reporter for The Post,  Trejos reported on real estate in the Washington metropolitan region.

The Killer Economy
Layoffs, foreclosures, the recession—experts say bad economic news has provoked a surge in mental-health problems. Yet while calls to crisis hotlines are soaring, state budgets for mental health services are being cut. What can be done to protect America’s peace of mind? We talk to U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D–R.I.) and Tim Murphy (R–Pa.) about what some are calling a “Killer Economy.”  Guests include: Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) who knows from personal experience the pain of mental illness and fights in Congress for parity in mental-health treatment; Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Penn.) A co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus, Rep. Murphy is the author of the Seniors Access to Mental Health Act; Kathryn Power, Dir., Center for Mental Health Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.

Sex, Age, and Money
If the job market feels like it’s shrinking, at least Congress is expanding your right to equal pay, and the courts are hearing cases about leveling the playing field as you age. Lilly Ledbetter made waves when her quest for fair pay led to the first bill that President Obama signed into law. We look at how the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 affects older workers and the state of age bias in the American workplace. Guests include: Lilly Ledbetter, who worked her way up to be one of the few female supervisors at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden, Ala. When she retired in 1998, Ms. Ledbetter discovered that she was paid less than her male counterparts. She sued the company. Goodyear appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the company’s favor. However, she kept up the fight for pay equity, and on Jan. 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 into law; Debra Katz, a founding partner of Katz, Marshall & Banks, who is recognized as one of the "Best Attorneys in America;" Darren McKinney, the communications director for the American Tort Reform Association; Deborah Russell, director of workforce initiatives at AARP; and Rep. Tim Bishop, D-New York.

A Call To Serve
Rising unemployment,  increased homelessness—the economic crisis hits hospitals, soup kitchens, and other nonprofits just as the need for their services grows. “Inside E Street” asks White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) about the new Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.  AARP’s Tom Nelson talks about the new call to serve. Guests include: White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, director of the Domestic Policy Council. Barnes helps coordinate policy-making for internal-United States issues; Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), a cosponsor of the Serve America Act. Rep. McKeon is the ranking member on the House Education and Labor Committee; Alan Solomont, board chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Solomont has served on the board since 2000, and has advocated for expanding Senior Corps;  Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Retirement and Aging, and one of the cosponsors of the Kennedy Serve America Act; and Tom Nelson, Chief Operating Office of AARP. He has served AARP for nearly 30 years.

Hurting for Nurses
Just as boomers are starting to age, America is facing the worst nursing shortage in 50 years. By 2020, we are projected to need 500,000 nurses. Many people want to enroll in nursing school, but schools do not have enough qualified nurse-educators available to teach. How can we end the shortage? Guests include: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chief sponsor of the 2009 NEED (Nurse Education, Expansion, and Development) Act, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1997 and is the majority whip;  Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.),  a Registered Nurse and founder of the House Nursing Caucus; Ann Converso, RN, president of the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, with more than 30 years of experience as a medical and surgical nurse in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Polly Bednash, executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which represents more than 590 nursing schools.

Health Care: Choice or Chance (Comparative Effectiveness)
Tucked into the 2009 stimulus bill was funding for research into how well medical treatments work. It's called “comparative-effectiveness research,” and it ignited a hot debate: Proponents say the research means we'll be healthier and save billions of dollars. Opponents say it actually rations health care. We talk to U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad and others about whether treatment is effective by choice or by chance. Guests include: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) Senator Conrad is Chairman of the Budget Committee and works on strategies to hold down the rising cost of health care.; John Rother is group executive officer of policy and strategy at AARP, and directs AARP’s legislative agenda; Steven Ubl is President and CEO of AdvaMed, the world’s largest advanced-medical-technology association;  Ceci Connolly has, since 1997, been a national staff writer at The Washington Post, where she covers health care.

Fuel Poverty
When the percentage of income swallowed by energy bills gets higher, it forces vulnerable people, particularly the elderly and those on fixed incomes, into “fuel poverty.” The economic stimulus law includes $5 billion for weatherizing homes for elderly, disabled, and low-income Americans. “Inside E Street” explores the motive behind the stimulus investment and the difficulties states face in ramping up their weatherization efforts. Guests include: Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.); Gil Sperling, manager of the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program at the U.S. Department of Energy; Shea Hollifield, Deputy Director of Housing for Virginia's Dept. of Housing and Community Development; and Meg Power, a specialist in affordable energy services and programs to help consumers receive environmental benefits.

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? Guests include: John Rother, AARP's Director of Legislation and Policy; Kerry Weems, Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (DHHS); and Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked with such organizations as PBS and the New York Times

Jobs Wanted: For Hire

It’s official: America is in a recession. This hits home to the ten million people who were unemployed in October of 2008. Earning a living is becoming more of a challenge, especially for the mid- or late-career job-hunter. We talk about the challenges of job creation, what we can learn from the past, and how to move forward.  Guests include: journalist Tony Pugh with McClatchy Newspapers' Washington Bureau; Guian McKee, a history professor at the University of Virginia; Mary Hansen, associate professor of economics at American University in Washington, D.C.; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith, formerly of the New York Times.

Economic Triage

In a hospital emergency room, the sickest patients are taken first, those who are stable and can wait, are seen later.  It's the same thing on a battlefield.  In our sick economy, what should be done first when the new administration takes over in January?  Guests include: Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Representative Shelly Capito (D-WV); Bonner Cohen, Senior Fellow for the National Center for Public Policy Research and Senior Policy Analyst for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow; David Sloane, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy for AARP; and George Cahlink, Founding editor for Roll Call’s legislative news wire service CongressNow.

Gambling With Your Health

Power of Language

Confusing financial jargon can lead to poor investments and bad decisions.  It’s not just tiny type that resides in the fine print, sometimes it’s the most important part of a contract or agreement.  We’re joined by three financial experts for a look at a movement toward simple, accurate, and precise financial language. Guests include: William Lutz, Director of the 21st Century Disclosure Modernization Project for the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mary L. Schapiro, CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; and consumer educator and financial guru Jonathan Pond.

Plastic Meltdown

Could credit card debt be the next shoe to drop in the financial crisis? With over $956 billion owed, credit card companies are tightening requirements, lowering limits, and worrying about collecting from debt-strapped cardholders. Some analysts are predicting the next firestorm in financial markets will be from the meltdown of credit card plastic. Guests include: Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Jim Chessen, chief economist and group director for the American Bankers Association; Ellen Davis, vice president of the National Retail Federation; and Keith Epstein, a writer in BusinessWeek’s Washington Bureau specializing in cyber security, military and intelligence, aviation, and health care.

Caring For Our Wounded Vets

Due to medical advances in the treatment of battlefield injuries, soldiers are coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq with injuries that would have killed them in previous wars.  Who is caring for these wounded vets?  In many cases, it’s their parents.  We explore the challenges these caregivers face, and we look at what is being done to help them. Guests include: Representative Bob Filner (D-CA), Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee; Col. Norvell Coots, commander of the Walter Reed Health Care System; and Lt. Col. Brian Feser, Director of the Wounded Warrior Project's Washington, D.C. bureau.

Protecting Workers 40+

Workers aged 40 and over are finding that retirement might not happen as soon as they predicted.  Not only that, it might be harder to keep the job they have or find the one they want because of the economic downturn.  Guests include: Gene Dodaro, Acting U.S. Comptroller General, in the Government Accounting Office; Deborah Katz, a founding partner of Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP and an expert in employment law; Mark Sherman, covers the Supreme Court for The Associated Press; and Deborah Russell, the Director of Workforce Issues at AARP.

Medical Bankruptcy

Half of all home foreclosures are linked to medical bills – a crisis that puts 1.5 million Americans in jeopardy of losing their homes. We explore the causes of this troubling trend, and debate some possible solutions.  Guests include: Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), fourth-highest-ranked member on the House Rules Committee who also serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Thomas P. Miller, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on health policy; David Cutler, Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics at the Kennedy School of Government; Gail Shearer, director of health policy analysis in the Washington, D.C. office of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine; and Richard S. Dunham, the Washington bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle.

The Price of Power

The price of home heating oil may cause many Americans to seek help to pay their energy bills this winter.  But where will the money come from?  Guests include: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT),  the longest serving independent member of Congress, having served 16 years in the House of Representatives before entering the Senate; Olivia B. Wein, staff attorney at National Consumer Law Center’s Washington office; and John Huber, President of the National Oilheat Research Association, and a Board Member of the National Low Income Energy Consortium.

Pension Deficit Disorder

Bankruptcy Blues
When bankruptcy strikes men and women over 55, it may be harder to bounce back.  What are some solutions to this growing financial crisis?  Guests include: Elizabeth Warren, professor of law at Harvard University and an expert on bankruptcy;  Mark Iwry, a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and a former tax counsel for the Treasury Department; and Jean Chatzky, the financial editor for NBC’s Today Show, a contributing editor for More Magazine, a columnist for The New York Daily News, and a contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show.

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. Guests include: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR); Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT); Len Nichols, Director, Health Policy Program, The New America Foundation; and David Certner, Legislative Policy Director, AARP.