Jan Johnson

Panelists suggest they need to collaborate, know what others do and focus on improving the health of populations

While medical science had made some miraculous advances so far it has not made anyone immortal. While most recognize the need for end-of-life planning, less than half actually do it, according to The Conversation Project, a national organization dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care.

Lisa Stiller would prefer that every dollar paid for health insurance premiums go to provide health care, not advertising. Her nonprofit, Health Care for all Oregon, wants to know how much money Providence Health & Services paid the Portland Timbers' for naming rights to the Major League Soccer team’s home stadium now called Providence Park.

When Regina Holliday’s husband was dying of kidney cancer, she was told she would have to pay 73 cents a page and wait weeks for her husband’s medical records. At about the same time, Holliday -- now a national advocate for patients' rights -- had asked Stephen King for an early edition of his then-latest novel so her husband, a big fan, could read it before he died.