As the Affordable Care Act nears its second anniversary, millions of families, small business owners, and seniors have already benefited from its passage, with millions more standing to gain from increased access to coverage in the next few years. Amid an array of attacks on the law’s central provisions, it is more important than ever for Americans to understand how the law will affect them and their fellow citizens.
Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who served as an advisor for both the Massachusetts and national health care reform bills, teamed up with an illustrator to explain the mechanics and importance of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, in graphic novel form. Gruber’s book, Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, and How It Works, breaks down the significant but undoubtedly complex policy into fun, easily digestible comic strips through characters such as Betty on Medicare and unlucky Carlos, who must purchase his own insurance.
Please join us as the Center for American Progress celebrates the release of Gruber’s book and hosts a discussion with Gruber, other policy experts, and a physician on the ACA’s current successes. Together we’ll unpack the additional reform efforts critical to ensuring the promise of quality coverage for all.
Distinguished panelists:
Jonathan Gruber, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Liz Fowler, Ph.D., J.D., Special Assistant to the President for Healthcare and Economic Policy at the National Economic Council
Dr. Alice Chen, M.D., Executive Director, Doctors for America
Moderator:
Topher Spiro, Managing Director, Health Policy, Center for American Progress