In this episode of Town Talks Live, Joan sits down with Laura Gordon of IndivisibleSTL for a conversation about democracy, grassroots activism, and the importance of civic engagement.

Laura shares her experiences as an activist, discusses the role IndivisibleSTL plays in organizing and engaging communities, and offers a look at what the organization has planned in the coming weeks and months.

Together, Joan and Laura explore what motivates people to get involved, the challenges facing grassroots organizations, and how everyday citizens can make their voices heard.

Whether you're a longtime activist or simply interested in becoming more involved in your community, this conversation offers insight into the people and organizations working to shape the future of our democracy.

Learn more about Town Talks Live at TownTalks.Live.

With Medicare open enrollment getting underway, millions of Americans are once again making important decisions about their health coverage. Joan is joined by Dr. Ed Weisbart, a nationally recognized expert on Medicare and health care policy, for a timely conversation about what seniors and their families should understand about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and the growing role of private insurers in America’s health care system.

Dr. Weisbart has spent decades working at the intersection of medicine, health policy, and the insurance industry. He coauthored two Physicians for a National Health Program reports examining Medicare Advantage, Our Payments, Their Profits: Quantifying Overpayments in the Medicare Advantage Program and Taking Advantage: How Corporate Health Insurers Harm America’s Seniors. He was also the lead author of No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color and Removing the Middlemen from Medicaid: A Blueprint for Better Care and Lower Costs.

Before becoming a leading advocate on Medicare policy, Dr. Weisbart practiced family medicine for 20 years at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. He moved to St. Louis in 2003 to serve as chief medical officer of Express Scripts, a position he held until retiring in 2010. He also served as a volunteer assistant professor of clinical medicine at Washington University in St. Louis until his clinical retirement in 2021.

As Medicare beneficiaries consider their options during open enrollment, Joan and Dr. Weisbart explore how Medicare works, how Medicare Advantage differs from traditional Medicare, where taxpayer dollars are going, and what the increasing involvement of private insurance companies means for patients, physicians, and the future of American health care.

It’s an especially important conversation at a time when seniors are being asked to make choices that can have significant consequences for their health care and their finances. This episode looks beyond the advertising and marketing to examine how the system actually works, who makes decisions about our health care, who pays for it, who profits from it, and what patients should know before making their choices.

In this episode of Town Talks Live, Joan sits down with John Kiehne for a conversation about community, public service, and the importance of showing up for others.

Joan first met John when she began running for office and he was serving on the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee. What stood out wasn’t simply his involvement in politics. It was his humanity. John was someone who consistently reached out, checked in, and genuinely wanted to know how she was doing.

That same compassion and commitment to community have shaped John’s approach to public service and his work throughout the St. Louis region.

Joan and John talk about what it means to be engaged in your community, why personal connections still matter in politics and public life, and the values that motivate people to step forward and serve.

It’s a conversation about politics, but even more, it’s about people.

Town Talks Live: People, Policy & Publications Shaping the Conversation.