The Eastern Economic Association, headquartered in ASB, presented Dr. Jonathan Gruber at Ramapo College in the Sharp theater on Oct. 8. Dr. Gruber presented on the “Past, Present, And Future of U.S. Healthcare.”
Dr. Gruber is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he teaches Economics. From 2009-2020, Dr. Gruber worked with the Obama administration and Congress as a technical consultant to create the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The ACA provides consumers with subsidies that lower health insurance costs, making insurance affordable for more people. The ACA also expanded the Medicare program and helps support innovative medical care intended to lower general healthcare costs.
During the discussion, Dr. Gruber focused on healthcare reform in the U.S., touching on his involvement with the ACA and what healthcare was like in America before its implementation in 2009.
“Most Americans got their insurance through their employer… about 60% of people got their insurance that way,” said Dr. Gruber. “About 20% of people got their insurance through the government, through two major programs.”
Dr. Gruber explained that the Medicare program is for those who are 65 years old or older, and Medicaid is for people who have limited income. He then went on to point out that the other 20% of Americans are at a disadvantage because they had to go through non-group insurance that allowed for discrimination in any way they wanted.
A part of what the ACA does is protect U.S. citizens from this discrimination and gave details of the process of getting the ACA to be a national priority under the Obama administration, Dr. Gruber added.
Dr. Gruber also touched on the current rise in healthcare costs, regulating drug and doctor prices, the complications of moving to a single-payer healthcare system and the importance of the ACA.
At the end of the discussion, Dr. Gruber opened the floor for questions where he was asked about mental health prioritization, companies treating illnesses rather than creating cures and racial health equity.
Dr. Gruber ended his talk by looking into the future, “There are things we can do to move forward and that’s what I want to leave you with … getting you excited about the changes you can make.”
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Ramapo College of New Jersey
