Health Care Reform (broadcast Friday, June 19th, 2009)

image by Flickr user 'andertho'

This week, health care reform officially began in Washington -- lawmakers are busy hashing out the painful tradeoffs of a bipartisan plan. Join guest host Paul Raeburn in this hour of Science Friday for a talk with experts on the economic and medical realities of improving care and coverage, at lower costs. First, NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson gives the latest on health care haggling in the capitol. Then, family physician Dr Michael Pramenko talks about the medical community of Grand Junction, Colorado, where medical spending is low but health care quality is high. Plus, economist Jonathan Gruber talks about what we can learn from the Massachusetts health program he helped design, and American Medical Association president Dr. James Rohack gives his view on what AMA doctors want to see in a national plan. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.