Ready to Launch: The Affordable Care Act and U.S. Health Policy

Conference Sign-in and Coffee

Welcoming Remarks:

Zack Cooper and Jacob Hacker of Yale University

Introductory Remarks:

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut

Plenary 1: Understanding the Wiring: An Overview of the ACA

This session will unpack the policy contents of the ACA, discuss the goals of the law, and examine how Connecticut is introducing its insurance exchange.  This panel will examine the logic and theory that underpin the ACA and examine how those principles ideas were translated into actionable policy at a state and federal level.  The session will also draw on the experiences from Massachusetts to inform what we can expect to see in Connecticut.

Plenary 2: Case Studies: How the Law Impacts CT Residents & Businesses

This panel will explore how the ACA impacts Connecticut residents and businesses.  There are a number of key provisions of the law that are not well understood, but which have tangible implications for everyone in the state.  This panel will explore a number of these provisions, including insurance mandates for individuals and business owners, the various tax policy changes included in the law and minimum standards for insurance coverage. In addition to going over state requirements, this panel will examine the best estimates of how the ACA is likely to impact insurance coverage in the state and across the nation.

Break for Lunch with Keynote Address

Plenary 3: The Secret to Success: The Role of Payment & Delivery Reform

While the bulk of the attention on the ACA has been focused on the changes that the law makes to insurance markets, the most substantive changes revolve around how medical care is paid for in the US.  The payment and delivery reforms are focused on slowing health spending growth and rewarding health care providers for improving their quality, rather than just providing more care.  Reforming how health care in the US is paid for and how providers are organized is vital making health care in the US more productive.  Indeed, a 2009 survey of US health care opinion leads concluded that payment reform was the most effective tool for slowing down the growth in health spending.

Closing Remarks

Zack Cooper, Jacob Hacker, and Senator Chris Murphy

Adjournment