Help for Troubled Homeowners
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Congress is holding hearings tomorrow on a plan to help unemployed homeowners stay out of foreclosure. Since President Obama launched a $75 billion plan in February to encourage lenders to lower mortgage payments, only 50,000 out of an estimated 4 million people in trouble have gotten help. Now the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston has a new study that says incentives to lenders won’t prevent foreclosures. Instead, Paul Willen of the Boston Fed says the government should give that money directly to homeowners until they’re back on their feet.
Buying Health Insurance
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We offer a user’s guide to purchasing health insurance. It’s not easy, with lots of plans to compare, and lots of fine print to read. We speak with Eliza Navarro Bangit, senior research associate and attorney at the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, and Ida Schnipper, who co-founded the patient advocacy firm, Health Champion.
- Read more tips on how to buy an individual health insurance policy
- Compare insurance policies at online brokerages EHealthInsurance and HealthPlanOne
- Read more about the best-ranked health plans
Tiny House
Photo by Harold Shapiro
In terms of living space, how many square feet do you need? In the US, the average size of a home is 2,600 sq. feet. One of the child star’s of the film, Slumdog Millionaire, is happy to have 250 sq. ft. for his family of four. Our guest, Elizabeth Turnbull describes her living space — all 144 sq. feet of it. She says size matters when you are thinking about a ‘green’ and a ’sustainable’ home.
What next in Iran?
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Tomorrow marks the 10-year anniversary of the storming of Tehran University by pro-government militias and Iran is bracing for the possibility of more violence in the streets. This after the deadly protests that followed the disputed presidential election last month. At the same time, desert storms have raised pollution to unprecedented levels and Iranian officials are hoping that will keep people off the streets. We speak to Sadeq Saba, head of the BBC Persian Service.
The Conscience of Nhem En
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We revisit a conversation we had with filmmaker Steven Okazaki. His Oscar-nominated short documentary “The Conscience of Nhem En” centers around Tuol Sleng, the Cambodian prison where thousands of victims of the Khmer Rouge were tortured and killed during the late 70s. The film premieres on HBO2 tonight.
Music from the Show
- Kar Kar Madison, “Boubacar Traore”
- Radiohead, “Myxamatosis”
- Herbie Hancock, “Watermelon Man”
- Calexico, “Dub Latina”
- Freddie Hubbard, “Gibraltar”
- The Lickets, “Serial East”
- Tito Puente, “Royal T”
- J.S. Bach, “The Goldberg Variations” as performed by Mari Kodama
In regard to purchasing private healthcare–your segment on knowing all the ins & outs of purchasing health insurance only furthers the argument for a public not-for-profit nationalized system. It was amazing to hear all the schemes the health insurance industry uses to avoid paying for anything and taking advantage of their customers. Our current system is all about profit first, while the needs of the patient are completely secondary. Isn’t it pretty ridiculous we have a system that requires consumers to pay for the services of a “health care advocate” in order to avoid being screwed?! (Sorry I cannot think of a better way to state the obvious in a less offensive way).
Posted by Sharon, on July 8th, 2009 at 1:20 pmThis is great! I just returned from Mexico where we spent the week pouring concrete for a family of 8 to expand their living space from a 10′ x 22′ (220 sq ft) to add more bedroom space for the 6 kids. It made me think about our needs at home. The also had no indoor plumbing. I did not need to rethink that one!
Posted by Luke Adams, on July 8th, 2009 at 1:25 pmThis type of home is common in Alaska, where fuel prices and frigid temperatures make it more economical. Who can feel sorry for people losing their 3,000 sq ft homes when it is totally possible to live in a 400 sq ft home? Living in a mansion isn’t a right!
Posted by Trista, on July 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pmThis is fantastic! I am disgusted by the McMansion mentality so many people seem to have. It’s wonderful to see someone think about the smallest space they need to live.
Posted by Leslie Kitchin, on July 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pmI was very surprised when your program “Buying Health Insurance” did not address one of the major issues when it comes to obtaining COBRA and, possibly, HIPPA health insurance. There is nothing in the regulations that dictate any regulation of cost. Most insurance companies would prefer not to have to participate under these plans, but, of course, the law dictates. What I have seen are often unreasonable increases in the annual costs, basically pricing the consumer, especially those with the largest needs, out of the various plans.
I kept expecting one of your experts to step up to that issue.
Posted by Bob Piper, on July 8th, 2009 at 4:09 pm