Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
Physician; Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care
PROFILE
David Gratzer
Guest
FROM David Gratzer
Which Way, L.A.?
Obama Crosses the Border, Canada's Single-payer Health Plan Barack Obama crossed into Canada today on his first foreign trip as President. But he spent just a few hours and made no public appearances. Canada’s single-payer system is a model for many US healthcare reformers, but some of the major players in Washington have declared that it’s “off the table.”
To the Point
Canada's Single-payer Health System The major players in Washington’s healthcare debate -- businesses, hospitals, doctors, labor unions, insurance companies and the members of Congress – have agreed that a “single-payer” system is “off the table.” That’s infuriated many Americans. Presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigned for “ universal healthcare ,” calling for unprecedented government intervention while preserving the employer-based insurance system. Obama’s visit to Canada provides the occasion for a debate that’s not happening in Washington on a so-called “single payer” system like those in Europe and Canada.
To the Point
Michael Moore, Insurance Companies and 'Socialized Medicine' Michael Moore 's latest film Sicko dramatizes the sometimes deadly shortcomings of America's health care system. When people who have insurance are denied payment by a profit-oriented bureaucracy, they either pay the bills and go bankrupt or go without medical treatment that could save their lives. Sicko advocates abolishing insurance companies and regulating the drug industry. It also embraces a Canadian-style, government-run health care system, the kind that advocates of the status quo denounce as "socialized medicine."
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To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?