Health care reform was the first big policy deal taken on by the Obama administration. Many say the young president has bet the mid-term elections, possibly his presidency, on the outcome. In a new investigation FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors at the White House, in Congress and the boardrooms of the giant health-care lobby to examine the political battles and costly compromises that defined Barack Obama’s endeavor. From early positive efforts, through the bitter battles with the Tea Party, the elation of apparent success at Christmas, to the crushing failure in the Massachusetts Senatorial election, FRONTLINE follows the story and reveals the first in-depth look at how the Obama administration operates. In Obama’s Deal, FRONTLINE veteran producer Michael Kirk (Bush’s War, Dreams of Obama, Inside the Meltdown, The Warning) provides a sobering expose’ of the realities of American politics, the power of special interest groups, and the role of money in policy making.
Subjects: Health
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Frontline: The Vaccine War – Public Performance
Public health scientists and clinicians tout vaccines as one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. But for many ordinary Americans vaccines have become controversial. Young parents are concerned at the sheer number of shots-some 26 inoculations for 14 different diseases by age 6-and follow alternative vaccination schedules advocated by gurus like Dr. Robert Sears. Other parents go further. In communities like Ashland, Oregon, up to one-third of parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids at all. And some advocacy groups, like Generation Rescue, argue that vaccines are no longer a public health miracle but a scourge; they view vaccines as responsible for alarming rises in certain disorders, including ADHD and autism. This is the vaccine war: On one side sits scientific medicine and the public health establishment; on the other a populist coalition of parents, celebrities (like Jenny McCarthy), politicians and activists. It’s a war that increasingly takes place on the Internet with both sides using the latest social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter, to win the hearts and minds of the public.
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Frontline: Obama’s Deal – inside the Battle for Healthcare – Public Performance
Health care reform was the first big policy deal taken on by the Obama administration. Many say the young president has bet the mid-term elections, possibly his presidency, on the outcome. In a new investigation FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors at the White House, in Congress and the boardrooms of the giant health-care lobby to examine the political battles and costly compromises that defined Barack Obama’s endeavor. From early positive efforts, through the bitter battles with the Tea Party, the elation of apparent success at Christmas, to the crushing failure in the Massachusetts Senatorial election, FRONTLINE follows the story and reveals the first in-depth look at how the Obama administration operates. In Obama’s Deal, FRONTLINE veteran producer Michael Kirk (Bush’s War, Dreams of Obama, Inside the Meltdown, The Warning) provides a sobering expose’ of the realities of American politics, the power of special interest groups, and the role of money in policy making.
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Genetic Engineering
This episode of ‘The Virtual Body’ looks at the practical and ethical issues of genetic engineering and cloning.
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Science in Focus: The Virtual Body
This series explains the workings of the human body using advanced virtual technology, clearly illustrating what happens inside us. Presented from inside the body, the remarkable and complex body functions are viewed close up and hitherto unseen organs and processes are described. 5 x 20 min.
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Circulation, Respiration and Breathing
Oxygen is vital to life. This episode of ‘The Virtual Body’ looks at how we obtain and use oxygen to live.
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Homeostasis
All the organs and tissues of the body are involved in maintaining the internal environment, a process known as homeostasis. This program looks at how homeostasis regulates the environment within our body cells.