Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Medical Care and Political Confusion

    Republicans who once warned about "death panels" are now telling Democrats to stop frightening old people with "Mediscare." But Newt Gingrich says the country's not ready for Paul Ryan's privatization plan , and some Republicans who voted for it are having second thoughts too.

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

    Republicans who once warned about "death panels" are now telling Democrats to stop frightening old people with "Mediscare." But Newt Gingrich says the country's not ready for Paul Ryan's privatization plan, and some Republicans who voted for it are having second thoughts too. Meantime, the former Governor of Massachusetts is trying to explain why "RomneyCare" looks so much like "ObamaCare." And the State of Vermont is about to embark on its own program of "universal coverage," the ultimate public option. We try to sort it all out.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The GOP and the Healthcare Battle
    1. 0:00IMF Chief Arrested in New York on Sexual Assault Charges
    2. 7:18Medical Care and Political ConfusionYou’re reading this
    3. 41:29Pakistan's Nuclear Program Is Fastest Growing in the World
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

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

      Darrell Satzman

      Producer

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jim Rutenberg

      media columnist, New York Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Anya Rader Wallack

      Vermont Governor's Office

    • KCRW placeholder

      Peter Suderman

      Reason magazine

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The GOP and the Healthcare Battle
    1. 0:00IMF Chief Arrested in New York on Sexual Assault Charges
    2. 7:18Medical Care and Political ConfusionYou’re reading this
    3. 41:29Pakistan's Nuclear Program Is Fastest Growing in the World
    Back to To the Point