Lakewood Residents Get Schooled on Affordable Care Act

Teddy Roosevelt was the first US President to propose nationalized health care reform.

About 100 years later, in 2010, the US signed into law the Affordable Care Act.

And on Monday night, about 15 residents met in the auditorium of the for a lesson about what the law means to them.

They also got a brief history lesson on the matter.

Dr. Arthur Lavin was the featured speaker at the forum, where he outlined several key points of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 — commonly referred to as “Obamacare.”

“I like to call it the new health care law, because it’s been in the making for about 100 years, “ said Levin. “If you get sick, you’re going to get covered.”

“Five generations of Americans have tried to pass this.”

Levin highlighted three major points during the forum: — care, bankruptcies and quality.

• Care: Lavin noted that before the law passed, as may as 50 million Americans were uninsured, adding that American was the only developed country where “you could die for not being insured.” He also pointed out that the act puts an end to pre-existing conditions.
• Bankruptcy: Lavin said that even during the depths of the Great Recession, “the No. 1 reason that Americans went bankrupt was to pay medical bills.”  The health care act, he said, put a limit on the rise of premiums, closes the “donut hole,” ensures that insurers don’t keep the premium dollars.
• Quality: “We pay more for getting less,” said Levin, comparing health care in the US with other developed countries. “We pay top dollar and we don’t get top care.” He said the health care act should change that.” For the first time, he said, procedures and devices will need to prove they offer something “better than the less dangerous or costly alterative.”

Tom Bullock, the Ward 2 city councilman who moderated the forum, said the idea behind the event was to shed some light on the health care act.

“What does it mean in a practical sense beyond the political rhetoric?” he said.