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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Healthcare in the US: The Politics and the Prices

    March 23 will be the second anniversary of President Obama's Affordable Care Act , a massive collection of complex provisions that is sure to be a major issue in this year's re-election campaign. While voters are under siege by advocates on both sides, the US Supreme Court will add to the confusion by considering whether it's constitutional.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    March 23 will be the second anniversary of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, a massive collection of complex provisions that is sure to be a major issue in this year's re-election campaign. While voters are under siege by advocates on both sides, the US Supreme Court will add to the confusion by considering whether it's constitutional. (A decision is expected in June.) In the meantime, Americans are spending more on healthcare than anyone else, and rising costs are increasing the federal deficit. Why do we spend twice as much as other countries for the same care and similar outcomes? Will "Obamacare" change that? If not, what else do we need?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Why Is Healthcare So Much More Expensive in the US?
    1. 0:00Jobs Report Signals a Strengthening Recovery
    2. 7:35Healthcare in the US: The Politics and the PricesYou’re reading this
    3. 42:39US and Afghanistan Reach Prison Handover Agreement
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Noam Levey

      Los Angeles Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Uwe Reinhardt

      Princeton University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jim Capretta

      American Enterprise Institute

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Why Is Healthcare So Much More Expensive in the US?
    1. 0:00Jobs Report Signals a Strengthening Recovery
    2. 7:35Healthcare in the US: The Politics and the PricesYou’re reading this
    3. 42:39US and Afghanistan Reach Prison Handover Agreement
    Back to To the Point