More than 75 students and members of the Fresno State community engaged in The Great Health Care Debate Workshop on Thursday in the Alice Peters Auditorium.
The presentation, coordinated through the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, examined the state of America’s health care system. In particular, the audience discussed the Affordable Care Act — signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 — and the different possible options given in this year’s presidential election.
“The issue of the Affordable Care Act is very much part of the national debate leading up to the (presidential) election,” said John Capitman, a public health professor at Fresno State.
“We thought it was really important for Fresno State students to learn more about the Affordable Care Act and the alternatives being proposed so that they could make their own decisions.”
The Affordable Care Act, popularly dubbed “Obamacare,” has allowed for dependents to stay on their parent’s insurance until their 27th birthday and has eliminated lifetime limits on health care coverage — two of the private insurance reforms the presentation highlighted.
The presentation, however, also outlined the problems surrounding the Affordable Care Act, in terms of sustainability and effectiveness. Pamphlets handed out to audience members criticized the act for not having enough support for primary care expansion and not placing enough attention to shared financial responsibility.
After reviewing the Affordable Care Act and its alternative — replacing it with the proposal of presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan — audience members were able to give their input.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Bill Daily, a doctorate in education leadership, in regards to the Affordable Care Act.
“It has addressed providing universal accessibility to all citizens. It does have some deficiencies that we should address.”
The presentation examined the pros and cons of both the Affordable Care Act and the alternative proposed by the former Gov. of Mass. Through three separate criteria — whether the health care plan is universal, sustainable and effective — audience members would be able to create their own conclusions on the nation’s current health care status and its viable alternatives.
“Everybody is going to come to their own understanding of what universal, sustainable and effective means,” Capitman said. “They’ll be able to use that to judge a system. We’re not saying what is perfect. We’re saying what are some goals. It’s a simpler way to understand the alternative proposals.
“The question that we’re posing to folks is looking at the Affordable Care Act and the Romney/Ryan alternative being proposed and which one works best for them.”