Medical Expert At Forum: New Law Expands Access, Controls Cost For Health Care
Dr. Arthur Lavin and Ward 2 councilmember Tom Bullock talk with Lakewood residents at a recent forum explaining the impacts of the new federal health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which includes expanding access to coverage for more Americans and controlling costs of health care. The forum was co-sponsored by Bullock and the Universal Health Care Action Network.
The topic of the nation’s new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known more popularly as “Obamacare,” brought community members from across Lakewood to the Lakewood Public Library recently to discuss the issue’s impact at the local level. The topic of health care reform has been contentious and highly politicized, particularly following the decision by the Supreme Court upholding the law. The event, which was sponsored by locally headquartered Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) and Lakewood Ward 2 councilmember Tom Bullock, sought to provide Lakewood residents with information and provide a forum for discussion.
Dr. Arthur Lavin, a longtime Cleveland-area pediatrician, presented information on the history of efforts to reform the health care system at the federal level, an undertaking that has spanned some one hundred years and has involved presidents of all political persuasions. The most recent and most successful attempt at reform, the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Lavin noted, came about in recognition of the need to improve care, limit the financial risk of getting sick, and establish norms of quality because, “after all, lives and livelihoods are at stake.”
The new health care law takes effect in stages, with full implementation by 2015. Lavin said many people across the country, and in Lakewood, are experiencing positive changes in their health care. A primary goal, he explained, is to extend coverage to as many people as possible while keeping costs down. The law accomplishes this by expanding eligibility for public insurance, like Medicaid, and increasing affordability for private insurance. Popular provisions have already been implemented, allowing children to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26, and providing access to preventative services like cancer screenings and diabetes testing without a co-payment.
UHCAN has organized speakers’ bureaus of doctors, civic leaders, and local activists who are reaching audiences across northeast Ohio. Speakers are available free of charge to address congregations, civic groups, and organizations of all kinds. For more information, contact Rachel DeGolia at 216/241-8422 extension 14, or at degolia@uhcan.org.