Thursday, August 5, 2010

Patt Morrison for Friday, August 6, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, August 6, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

DAVID LAZARUS FILLS IN FOR PATT

 

 

1:06 – 1:30

The 411 on your (lack of a) 401(k)

By the end of 2008 the recession had us beginning to wonder just how deep and dark this fiscal fallout was going to be, and as we saw almost 20% of companies with 1,000 employees or more reducing or suspending matching contributions to workers’ 401(k) plans, it seemed like it was going to get pretty dark. Two years later many companies, despite that light at the end of the tunnel that is improved business and profits, are reluctant to restore those benefits and some even predict further cuts. Sure the smaller companies fear reinstating the 401(k) match only to have to suspend it again but what is keeping the bigger companies that are back in the black from giving back?

 

Guest:

Daniel Gross, Senior editor at Newsweek; author of the "Contrary Indicator" and "Moneybox" columns for Newsweek and Slate.com

CALL HIM: 

 

 

1:30 - 1:39

Goodbye campaign finance reform.  Hello big money. 

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, opened the door to allow unlimited sums of corporate and union money to flow into political campaigns.  And this November, big business plans to take full advantage.  Conservative business groups intend to spend unprecedented amounts of money in an attempt to take back control of Congress from the Democrats.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is planning to spend more than $75 million on the congressional election—up from $35 million in 2008.  Another example, a group of 15 conservative tax-exempt organizations is expected to spend close to 300 million.  So just how much will be spent and what impact will this massive influx of campaign money have on Congress in November?

 

Guests:

Jonathan Collegio, communications director, American Crossroads

CALL HIM @

 

  • A conservative fundraising organization affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove

 

Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media & Democracy

CALL HER @

Backup: TBD

 

  • The Center for Media and Democracy is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization that focuses on investigating and countering spin by corporations, industries, and government agencies.
  • Graves was the chief counsel for nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Clinton Administration
  • Graves was the former Deputy Assist Attorney General in the office of legal policy for the Clinton Administration.
  • Graves advised Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chair & ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on judicial nominations and conducted in-depth research about candidates for federal judgeships; she also directed research into the history of judicial nominations and Senate procedures.

 

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

You can’t make me! Insurance companies, preparing for healthcare reform, yank children’s policies

It seemed like a clear directive—as part of the landmark healthcare reform bill that passed in March, insurance companies were required to cover children regardless of any pre-existing conditions.  Insurance companies seemed to acquiesce to the legislation…until they found a simple way around it:  stop offering new coverage for children in the individual insurance market.  The Obama Administration, sensing disaster, issued a clarification to the children insurance rule to address the concerns of insurance companies that parents would wait to buy “child only” policies until their kids were sick.  Now insurers could restrict enrollment of children under 19 to specific open enrollment periods, but the White House didn’t go any further—there remains a lot of gray area and the distinct possibility that insurance companies might still pull child only policies off the market.  This is just one of a few unintended consequences of the new healthcare law….will we get that promised reform?

 

Guests:

Robert Zirkelbach, spokesperson, America’s Health Insurance Plans

CALL HIM:

 

MORE GUESTS TBD

 

 

2:30 – 2:58:30

OPEN

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org

 

No comments: