Millions of Americans disapprove of the Affordable Care Act without understanding what the act aims to accomplish or how it works.  Dr. Jonathan Gruber's book "Health Care Reform:  What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works" breaks down the individual components of the act in order to give Americans a greater understanding of what all it includes and how its provisions will affect their daily lives.  Gruber discussed the book, ACA and the future of health care reform in the United States with an audience at Disruptive Women in Washington, DC last night.  

Disruptive Women founder Robin Stongin and Dr. Jonathan Gruber

Attendees were attracted to the event because they were anxious to hear a breakdown of the Affordable Care Act in Gruber's own words as well as a comparison of ACA to health care reform in Massachusetts.

As an explanation for why we need health care reform in the first place and what's taken so long to achieve it, Gruber described the individuals hurt most by the current system and the politics involved with helping them.

He then went into the basics, explaining what is needed for reform to be successful if we could take politics out of the equation and clarifying facts about the mandate.

Addressing the challenge of cutting the health care cost curve, Gruber said:

Gruber also refuted the popular assumption that America cannot afford health reform. As he explained, ACA will in fact lower the deficit by cutting health care spending and raising taxes without taxing those with incomes below $250,000 per year. He said that the emphasis on preventive health and comparative effectiveness research in the law will reduce the over use and inappropriate use of health care services.