The Harvard Crimson spoke with Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) faculty members for a Year in Review article on implementing the Affordable Care Act. HSPH researchers, including [[John McDonough]], [[Katherine Baicker]], and [[Meredith Rosenthal]], have been at the forefront of the academic debate over the health care law. The story, published May 24, 2012, was part of Commencement 2012 coverage.
Former HSPH Dean [[Barry R. Bloom]], Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and Jacobson Professor of Public Health at HSPH, suggested academics can offer a more objective perspective on healthcare policy than politicians and the media. He advised individuals to educate themselves about the Affordable Care Act.
Baicker, professor of health economics at HSPH, co-authored a paper in July 2011 showing that increased access to Medicaid resulting from the act increased rather than decreased costs. She told The Crimson that while the price of care rose significantly, people reported improved health and fewer financial strains associated with healthcare costs.
Rosenthal, professor of health economics and policy at HSPH, told The Crimson that the act was “politically designed to have modest effects on everyone other than the uninsured.” She said, “Many of the changes are subtle, but cumulatively, it makes a difference for a lot of people.”
Read the Harvard Crimson story
Learn more
The legal battle over health care reform (HSPH Features)
Medicaid increases use of health care, decreases financial strain, and improves health for recipients (HSPH Press Release)
Talking health care reform: A conversation with Meredith Rosenthal (Harvard Public Health Review)