Massachusetts’ Health Care Success Story and Why the Affordable Care Act is Constitutional

February 8, 2012, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Please join Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley for a conversation about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and the success of the Massachusetts health care law it is modeled on.

Attorney General Coakley worked to implement the successful Massachusetts health care reform law that former Gov. Mitt Romney signed in 2006, which allowed the state to achieve near-universal health coverage, even as coverage declined throughout the rest of the country. Drawing on her experience in Massachusetts, Coakley will explain how the Massachusetts framework that provides full access to insurance, ensures that individuals will take responsibility for their health care, and makes health care affordable to all individuals played an essential role in successfully providing unparalleled access to health care coverage for Massachusetts residents.

Attorney General Coakley and Tanden will discuss why the Affordable Care Act’s adoption of the Massachusetts framework fits comfortably within the United States’ constitutional authority.