The Affordable Care Act is ready to launch, and Yale University held a conference on Friday to break down the health care changes and what they mean for you.
Today’s conference brought together leaders in health, economics and law, as well as medical providers, to discuss what comes next and how the new law could be improved.
“What we've seen is there's a lot of misinformation out there," said Yale economics professor Zack Cooper. "Something like 60 percent of the folks don't even know this is a law."
Cooper said the goal is to explain the new health care legislation in a straightforward way.
“What we want to say is, "This is what the Affordable Care Act is. Here are the strengths. Here are the weaknesses,' Cooper said. "And then let them decide for themselves whether this makes sense."
Among the Connecticut residents looking for answers is the son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, often credited as one of the pioneers of the universal health care movement.
“My father was concentrated on the end goal," said Edward M. Kennedy, Jr. "This may not have been the exact solution or the exact architecture that my father would have wanted, but he fought like hell to make sure people were afforded quality health care at an affordable price.”
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Today’s speakers acknowledged the glitches that are expected to arise as people sign up for health insurance, but said they are not expected to create major problems.
“In Connecticut, you're expanding insurance coverage to eight percent of the population," said Cooper. "That's not changing the rotation of the earth."
Proponents said the key is cutting through the misinformation and getting people signed up for health care, especially in target areas like Hartford, New Haven and Fairfield County.
The new marketplace launches on Oct. 1.
