Patt Morrison Fri, 3/13

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, March 13, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

 

1:30 – 2:00

Insured Americans: One Bad Diagnosis Away from Financial Ruin?

Karen Tumulty covered health policy as a reporter for 15 years, so when her brother was diagnosed with kidney disease and discovered his insurance refused to cover the costs of his illness, she thought she'd know how to solve his problems. But the health care crisis is much more complicated and severe than she thought—the insurance company labeled her brother's kidney disease as a "preexisting condition" when he renewed his 6 month-policy and refused to pay for the costly diagnosis and treatment, even though he had been purchasing 6-month policies from the same company for 6 years. Karen joins us with her story and some advice for navigating the health care system.

 

Guests:

Karen Tumulty, national correspondent for Time magazine. She wrote the Mar. 5 article, "The Health-Care Crisis Hits Home"

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Gerald Kominski, professor of Health Services and associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

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[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 2:20

Ford Deals Down with UAW

Ford Motor Company got concessions from the United Auto Workers this week that may set the template for GM and Chrysler's own deals with the union.  At the same time, GM has told the Obama administration it won't need the $2 billion loan installment it had previously requested for March because its restructuring plan is starting to take hold. This news sounds like it bodes well for the auto industry's future, but is it just a smooth spot in a very bumpy ride still to come?

 

Guest:

Neal Boudette, Detroit bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal

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2:20 – 3:00

Laid Off But Still Opinionated: Theater Critics' Roundtable
They may be out of work, but they still have opinions on the onstage offerings in southern California. From "Divorce! the Musical" at Hudson Mainstage Theatre and "Tartuffe" at Boston Court, all the way to "Frost/Nixon" at the Ahmanson, LA Weekly theater critic-at-large, Steven Leigh Morris, Frontiers Magazine's Wenzel Jones, and Back Stage's Dany Margolies, join Patt for a discussion (and critique) of the latest to hit the local stage.

 

Guests:

Steven Leigh Morris, Critic at Large, LA Weekly

IN-STUDIO

 

Wenzel Jones, Contributing Writer, Frontiers Magazine

IN-STUDIO

 

Dany Margolies, Executive Editor, Back Stage

IN-STUDIO