From Obamacare to winning on Healthcare Reform in 2020

The Venue has been changed to Room 2.06 New Academic Building, Lincoln's Inn Fields WC2A 3LJ

What is the top issue for voters in poll after poll? Healthcare! Join us for a fascinating evening with the award winning filmmakers of Brook Lapping’s documentary Inside Obama’s White House: Obamacare and an expert panel from the DAUK Healthcare Reform Group.

In the most recent Democrat Primary debates, candidates focused on their differing plans for achieving universal healthcare. Now is the perfect moment to find out more and to discuss how we can make healthcare reform key to winning in 2020!

We will kick off the evening with the specially-arranged screening of Obamacare – episode 2 of the acclaimed Brook Lapping series Inside Obama’s White House - heralded by The Guardian as "absorbing as any episode ot the West Wing". We are exceptionally fortunate that the multi-award-winning filmmakers Sarah Wallis, director and producer of this episode, and Paul Mitchell, the executive producer of the series, will join the after-screening panel discussion.

Obamacare: how it passed, the debates and electoral price

It is too easy – and dangerous - to forget that achieving passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 was tumultuous and ground-breaking, and that Republicans have relentlessly striven to dismantle any steps to achieving universal healthcare.

This extraordinary Obamacare documentary gives unprecedented insight into the tough negotiations and behind-the-scenes strategies and decisions that enabled the Affordable Care Act to pass with the slimmest of margins. Watch the exclusive interviews with important stake-holders such as Sister Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Association, and gain insight into why President Obama and Nancy Pelosi persisted in the face of stiff opposition. From the filmmakers, find out more about what their research and interviews uncovered.

The route to universal healthcare: Where the American system is and where Democrats want it to go!

Our DAUK Healthcare Group panel will provide look at where American voters were in 2018, our current dysfunctional healthcare system and the two types of plans currently being proposed; a “single payer” system or adding a “public option” to the Obamacare exchanges.

Healthcare reform in the 2020 election: how the debate and voters’ attitudes have changed, the different Democratic plans on the table and a winning policy for 2020

In the 2010 midterms, with the surging Tea Party movement, many Democratic candidates feared their support for Obamacare was toxic electorally, while Republicans faced voter outrage in Town Halls throughout 2017 and in the 2018 midterms lost votes for their positions on healthcare reform.

What has changed? What would the specific proposals under debate entail and achieve? How can we ensure that Democratic healthcare proposals are key to winning?

This screening will have captions/subtittles.

Date: November 25, 2019 (tbc)
Venue: Room 2.06 New Academic Building, 54 Lincolns Inn Fields, WC2A 3LJ
How to find the LSE: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-information/travelling-to-lse
How to find the New Academic Building (Building NAB): Map of LSE campus: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-information/campus-map

Time: 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Schedule:
6:30 p.m.: Doors open for check-in
7:00 p.m.: Screening of Obamacare (60 minutes)
8:00 p.m.: Panel discussion and Q and A with filmmakers and experts from the Healthcare Reform Group of the DAUK Policy Network and Resolutions Committee
9:15 p.m.: Finish

Panel Discussion

The Filmmakers
Sarah Wallis was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the UK. She is a multi-lingual documentary and current affairs producer/director with two and a half decades’ experience, including eight in the BBC documentaries department, is the director/producer of this episode Obamacare in the acclaimed 2016 BBC series Inside Obama's White House. She has made history, arts, and current affairs films. She worked on Channel 4’s ten-part series, The First World War; the BBC’s People’s Century (which won both the DuPont Peabody and Emmy awards for her episode, Master Race); and Homecoming, the documentary of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s return to Russia (Royal Television Society Award). Sarah is also an award-winning author of two books (with Svetlana Palmer) on the World Wars, A War in Words and We Were Young and at War, told through the letters and diaries of men, women and children on both sides of the lines.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Paul Mitchell has been making award-winning, high-rating, entertaining documentaries on the BBC, Channel 4, PBS, ARTE,Discovery, National Geographic and more for over a quarter of a century.

Some highlights from his filmography:

The history of peresroika: The Second Russian Revolution (BBC, 1990); RTS, Broadcasting Press Guild and New York Festival awards; Putin's Russia: BBC Peabody-award winning: Putin: Russia and the West (2011 and How Putin Came to Power (C4, 2007)

BBC/National Geographic Channel: The Iraq War

Emmy-winning Watergate (Discovery, BBC)

The Indie-winning C4 A Marriage of Power, on the Clinton Presidency ( a BAFTA finalist)

The BAFTA-winning story of the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum: Yes/No: Inside the Indyref (2019)

Frontline reporting from Chechnya: for PBS WideAngle: Greetings from Grozny. Edward R. Murrow Award, FIPA 2003 Prix de Jury de 15, Chicago International Television Awards. Inside Chechnya (BBC) - Rory Peck Award and Hot Spots Chechnya (BBC)

The Death of Yugoslavia (1995) - one of the British Film Institute's top 100 greatest British television programmes of any genre ever screened.

His films have won the du-Pont Columbia Journalism award, the Peabody (four times), the Emmy, the BAFTA, the Royal Television Society Award, the New York Festival, and the Greirson award.

His arts films include The Alternative Rock and Roll Years, a history of pop music, fashion and cinema in the developing world and Russia’s Open Book: Writing under Putin, on modern Russian fiction (PBS, 2013).

Panelists from the Healthcare Reform Group, Policy Network and Resolutions Committee

Bill Barnard will chair the after-screening discussion. Bill is an American political historian and commentator, author of Dixiecrats and Democrats, university administrator, former chair of Democrats Abroad U.K., and former International Treasurer of Democrats Abroad.

Rod Dubitsky has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services and global development sectors. The bulk of his career had been spent in financial services developing a range of market leading, award- winning research and analytical platforms. Rod also spent 10 years working with BRAC, the Bangladeshi NGO. While working with BRAC, Rod spent some time working on proposals in global health and had responsibility for Liberia and Sierra Leone during the time of Ebola.
Rod has always had a keen interest in understanding and improving global health systems.
Working with DAUK Rod has presented on topics including global inequality and improving US health insurance system. 

Carol Moore is a Democratic activist, passionate about women’s rights and affordable healthcare for all Americans. Carol is Co-chair DAUK Policy Network and Resolutions (PNR) group on Healthcare Reform.

She is a former Chair of DAUK, a founding Co-chair of the Democrats Abroad UK Women’s Caucus and a Precinct Leader in the Palm Beach County Democratic Party in Florida. Carol has been a member of DAUK for over 30 years, and in 2018 was Co-chair of the DAUK Florida States initiative which focused on a phone-banking campaign that contributed to delivering a record number of overseas Democratic votes in the Florida election.
Carol is a native of Long Island, New York, a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, received a JD from Fordham Law School and an MBA from NYU. After a banking career in the City, Carol moved into education finance before retiring to volunteer with Democrats here in London and in the States.

Deborah Rozansky is a health policy expert who has worked on healthcare reforms in both the US and UK. With over 30 years in the sector, her career has focused on designing policies and programs to improve access to affordable, high quality healthcare. 

Since living in the UK, Deborah has held numerous leadership positions with non-profit consultancies, research organizations and patient charities. Early career roles included working for the US Congress, Medicare and Medicaid programs, and the Ohio Department of Health. Deborah currently co-chairs the DAUK PNR group on Healthcare Reform.

Additional contributors:

David Wenk is Vice Chair of DAUK and a member of the Democrats Abroad Progressive Caucus who have been campaigning for Medicare for All.

Elizabeth A. Crocker, RN, MSc, who will not be able to join us but has provided vital research on these topics, is a US Registered Nurse, and a successful US and UK healthcare business founder and executive, who works with private healthcare services, large corporate employers, health insurance and managed care companies, government entities, and the NHS. She maintains 4 nursing licenses in New York, Illinois, Texas and California. She has bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and Human Physiology from SUNY Stony Brook University, and master’s degrees in Healthcare and Business Administration from CW Post Long Island University. In addition to her extensive working experience with the US and UK health systems, Elizabeth worked with healthcare clients in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, and the Netherlands. Elizabeth is an accomplished healthcare reform strategist, policy writer and speaker to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, including working on the Clinton Healthcare Reform initiative from 1992-1994.

For more information about joining the Policy Network Healthcare Reform Group: email policynetwork@democratsabroad.org.uk  
To recommend documentaries or to find out more about the Film Committee: email films@democratsabroad.org.uk Do book early as this is certain to be a very popular event!

Please note: Unless sold out, tickets will be available on the door.

Special notices:

In compliance with US campaign and party funding laws, we can only accept payments from US citizens and green card holders. Non-US citizens are very welcome to attend, but only as guests of US citizens who must book and pay for—as a gift—their guests' admission. By booking and paying for tickets for this event, you are confirming that you are a US citizen or green card holder. You must tick a box affirming this before completing your purchase.

If you are unable for any reason to book online using this website, please email us with your request. Advance bookings will only be taken until 5 p.m. on the day of the screening.

This event is CLOSED to the press.