THE HEALTH REFORM DEBATE:

The US Supreme Court has ruled and now we must determine what’s next for America’s healthcare system.

In a series of interviews on The Bioethics Channel podcast and You Tube, the Center examined key elements of the Affordable Care Act and the implications moving forward.

Interview subjects included the following:

· John Bluford, president/CEO, Truman Medical Centers, Kansas City, MO
· Art Caplan, PhD, New York University
· Center for Practical Bioethics
   John Carney president and CEO
    Myra Christopher, Foley Chair for Pain and Palliative Care
    Terry Rosell, PhD, DMin, Rosemary Flanigan Chair
· Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, University of Pennsylvania
· Joseph Fins, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College
· Douglas Henley, MD, executive vice president/CEO, American Academy of Family Physicians
· Bridget McCandless, MD, Shared Care Free Clinic, Jackson County, MO
· Wayne Powell, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Kansas City
· Sandy Praeger, Insurance Commissioner, State of Kansas
· Robert St. Peter, MD, president/CEO, Kansas Health Institute

Each interview shares information and commentary from a broad range of individuals with a keen interest in how this process unfolds.

In the end we hope this information will represent an important step toward finding common ground on what may well be the most important social development of this generation.

FEATURE INTERVIEW:

The ACA and Free Health Clinics

The environment for free health clinics will change with full implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Bridget McCandless, MD, medical director for the Shared Care Free Clinic of Jackson County, MO, explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.

Related Links:

Insurance regulator asks Brownback to set health exchange ‘benchmark’, The Associated Press, September 25, 2012
Liking It or Not, States Prepare for Health Law, New York Times, September 23, 2012
What Do Polls Really Tell Us About The Public’s View Of The Affordable Care Act?, Health Affairs Blog, September 21st, 2012

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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A Health Reform Perspective from an ACA Architect

Ezekiel Emanuel, MD was one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act. Now, almost four years after starting the process, Dr. Emanuel looks back and looks ahead in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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A Health Reform Perspective

Robert St. Peter, MD, is the president and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute. He shares his perspectives on health reform in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.

Robert St. Peter, MD
September 13, 2012

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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Health Reform and Family Physicians

There's a mix of good and challenging news for family physicians when it comes to health reform. That's according to Douglas Henley, MD, executive vice president and CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Douglas Henley, MD
American Academy of Family Physicians
September 7, 2012

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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Hospitals and the Affordable Care Act

US hospitals face some challenges in implementing the Affordable Care Act. John Bluford, III, president and CEO at Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, explains in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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The Affordable Care Act and Brain Injuries

The Center’s Virtual Town Hall Meeting continues this week with a discussion about the Affordable Care Act’s potential impact on certain medical populations and academic medical centers.

Joseph Fins, MD, is uniquely qualified to address both questions in his various roles at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is most concerned about how health reform might affect the care of patients with severe brain injury.

Dr. Fins explains his concerns in this week's edition of The Bioethics Channel, available by video link above or audio link below.

Another concern of Dr. Fins is that medical innovation may be stifled in favor of efficiencies. That’s the subject of this week’s poll question. Share your view and comments below.

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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On HOLD: Health Reform and State Insurance Commissioners

State insurance commissioners are caught in the middle, waiting, for questions to be resolved over the Affordable Care Act. In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger says states can only do so much until after the elections in November.

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

Related article:
Implementing Health Reform: A Final Exchange Blueprint And Other News, Timothy Jost, Health Affairs Blog, August 15th, 2012

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Making the Moral Case for Health Reform

August 8, 2012 - The Obama Administration needs to do a better job of making the moral case for health reform. That's according to Art Caplan, PhD, director of medical ethics at New York University. He suggests how such a moral case might be made in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Listen to the audio of the podcast or watch our video.

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Just the Beginning:

The Supreme Court and Ethical Healthcare Reform

June 28, 2012 - The Supreme Court decides, and now we decide how to move forward to create an ethical, just and humane healthcare system.

John Carney, Myra Christopher and Terry Rosell of the Center for Practical Bioethics talk about what's next in this edition of The Bioethics Channel with Lorell LaBoube.