Patt Morrison for Tuesday, November 30, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, November 30, 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

 

 

HR 1 BILLBOARD

 

 

1:00 – 1:30

OPEN

 

1:30 – 2:00

The Right to Be Out

Gay rights have come a long way in the United States, but despite some very important improvements in treatment and equality, public schools can be a terrible place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students and teachers. Recent reports of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and even suicides are evidence that something needs to be done. Even so, efforts to protect the rights of the LGBT students and teachers seem to be slapped down in the courtroom, at the polls, and especially at the schools themselves. The Right to Be Out discusses the issues faced by LGBT people as they fight to gain equal footing in society and the educational world, tracing the history and legal battles fought since 1968.

 

Guests:

Stuart Biegel, author, The Right to Be Out. He is a member of the faculty in the School of Law and the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.

IN STUDIO

]

 

2:00 – 2:30

The unintended consequences of Obamacare: Will it create an innovative health care system or monopolies?

One of the cornerstones of Obama’s health care plan is lowering sky rocketing health care costs.  That mandate is creating something new—the formation of a medical merger frenzy.  Hospitals are attempting to merge with doctors and clinics to share costs and take advantage of cost cutting incentives provided by Uncle Sam.  The only problem is that joining forces to create an efficient cost effective machine violates antitrust laws.  The laws are in place to protect against the creation of monopolies and price fixing, but the American Medical Association and others say the exemptions are vital.  Is all this consolidation good for patients and the health care industry or will it end up making the health care crisis worse?

 

Guests:

Kavita K. Patel, adjunct assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine
CALL HER

Dr. Patel is a board-certified internal medicine physician who was also a clinical instructor at UCLA’s medical school.  Before coming to the New America Foundation, Dr. Patel was director of policy for the White House Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs, where she played a key role in designing the health care reform legislation.

 

Thomas L. Greaney, professor of law and Director of the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis University

CALL HIM: 

He is an expert on anti trust laws.

 

Dr. Cecil B. Wilson, President of the American Medical Association

He calls us.

He met with the Federal Trade Commission to get an exemption from antitrust laws that seek to limit monopolies that can lead to price fixing.

 

 

 

2:30 – 2:40

OPEN

 

2:40 - 3:00

Food borne illness: $152 billion; a bill to fix it all: $300 billion; petty bickering in the senate to pass the bill: priceless

It passed through the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support, but the FDA Food Safety Modernization bill has been stuck in the Senate for over a year. The bill would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to conduct wide tests for contamination and recall food that does turn out to be contaminated. It would also require more frequent inspections of large, food production plants, which are usually at higher risk of spreading illnesses. Imported foods would also be held to the same standards as those produced in the United States. Clean and safe sounds good, so what’s the hold up? Well, small farmers and producers feared that new regulations would be too expensive, while consumer groups feared that allowing any exemptions for smaller-scale producers might still threaten public health. An amendment was added to quell those fears, but now the likes of Glenn Beck and the Tea Party are attacking the bill. So can the Senate get it together to pass a bill that could greatly improve public health?

 

Guests:

TBD