Tag: universal health care

WERU News Report 4/8/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Segment 1: Nurses, social workers and economic justice activists observed the anniversary of the murder of Martin Luther King Friday, by calling for the passage of what they call a “Robin Hood tax”. They say they are carrying on King’s legacy of working to end poverty, by supporting federal legislation that would tax wealthy stock traders. A 5% tax would be levied on stock trades, a .1% tax on bonds, and a .005% on derivative speculation. Supporters say the tax would generate $350 billion dollars per year, which would be directed toward guaranteed healthcare for all, job training and living wages, taking action on climate change, ending global HIV & AIDS, sustainable manufacturing and infrastructure, quality public education , housing, child care and mass transit.
Wearing Robin Hood hats and carrying signs saying “Take It Back, Tax Wall Street” and “Heal America, Tax Wall Street”, a group of about 20 people gathered outside the Federal Building in Bangor:

Segment 2: Last week we told you about a traveling show that’s honoring the famous campaign finance reform activist, Granny D. At the showing in Blue Hill on Sunday, Senate candidate Shenna Bellows made an appearance and gave her take on money in politics: Also saying a few words at the Granny D event Sunday was WERU regular Phil Caper of Maine AllCare:

WERU News Report 3/4/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio recorded by John Greenman

Dr Philip Caper is one of the founders of Maine AllCare, a non-profit that promotes universal health care. He has been a professor at Dartmouth and UMass Medical schools, served on a US Senate committee on health, and writes a column for the Bangor Daily News. He has also been a guest here on WERU, and a panelist at a health care reform forum we sponsored a few years ago. Last week he spoke at the University of Maine as part of the Marxist and Socialist studies lecture series, taking a look at the larger issues with the US health care system. His talk was titled: “Diagnosing the Underlying Pathology: Dissecting the American Healthcare System”

WERU News Report 1/14/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

The state legislature’s Insurance and Financial Services Committee held a public hearing Thursday, on LD 1345, “An Act To Establish a Single-payor Health Care System To Be Effective in 2017“. Today we listen in as the bill is introduced, and we’ll hear some of the testimony in support, recorded by WERU’s John Greenman

WERU News Report 1/8/14

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Part 2 of 2

Individuals/groups that were in the news on WERU in 2013, look ahead to 2014. Today: Karen Marysdaughter of 350 Maine, Phil Caper of Maine AllCare, Diane Messer & Lynne Williams of Move to Amend and We The People, Lindsay Newland Bowker of Bowker Associates, Rachel Healy of ACLU of Maine

WERU Community SoapBox 2/7/12

Issue: Open mic style call-in show

Broadcast Time: 4pm

Program Topic: Various
Key Discussion Points:
School consolidation
Legalizing cannabis
LPG proposal/Searsport
Universal Health Care
Sovereign Citizens
Book recommendation
TUC Radio

Guests by name and affiliation: n/a
Call In Program: yes
Political Broadcast: no

Host: Amy Browne
Engineer: Joel Mann

WERU Forum: Single Payer: Fact vs Fiction 6/23/09

Held at the Alamo Theater in Bucksport, Maine with a live audience and broadcast live. Panelists were:
Jerry Call, Midcoast Health Care Reform,
Phil Caper, MD and Single-Payer Advocate
Joel Allumbaugh, President of Maine Association of Health Underwriters, National Worksite Benefits Group
Tarren Bradgen, CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center
Jim Fisher of host of WERU’s “Common Health” moderated
Includes audience questions and comments.
Engineers: Joel Mann, Matt Murphy, Chris Stark
WERU Table: Sylvia Smith
Executive Producer: Amy Browne
(Note that this is in 2 parts— the longer segment is the 1st part)

Weekend Voices 6/13/09

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio recorded by Willie Marquart and Sylvia Smith, edited for length by Amy Browne

Today we continue our coverage of the rally for Single Payer Universal Health Care that was held in Augusta on May 30th, with this audio recorded at the event by Willie Marquart and Sylvia Smith. It has been edited slightly for length.

Feature the Raging Grannies; activist Nancy Galland; Representative Ed Mazurek, the sponsor of a Maine resolution supporting single payer; Green Party Gubernatorial Candidiate Lynne Williams; John Newton of the Maine Chapter of the Maine Chapter of the AFL-CIO; and activists Marybeth Sullivan & Dexter Kamilewicz.

Join us for the weekday edition of Voices, Tuesday afternoon at 4, to hear the final segment of speakers at the rally. The first set of speakers aired on Weekend Voices last Saturday. If you missed it then, you can listen at our archives at www.weru.org

WERU is holding a Public Forum called “Single Payer: Fact vs. Fiction” at the Alamo Theater on Tuesday evening June 23rd from 6-8p.m. A panel of invited speakers will include those for and those against the Single Payer option. Audience members will be encouraged to comment and ask questions, and the event will be broadcast live. That’s 6-8p.m., June 23rd, at the Alamo in Bucksport. Admission is free.

**CORRECTION— It was incorrectly stated in today’s program that Rep. Ed Mazurek is the sponsor of HR 676.

RadioActive 5/28/09

Producers/Hosts: Meredith DeFrancesco and Amy Browne
Topic: Single-payer universal health care. What is it? How would it address the current health care crisis in the U.S.? Why is there so much support? Who are the powerful opponents? Also: information about the Rally for Universal Health Care taking place on Saturday 5/30/09 in Augusta and other upcoming forums and programs.
Guests: Jerry Call, organizer/activist for Single-Payer and Dr. Phillip Caper, retired MD and Professor

FMI: www.mainehealthcarereform.org