Jonathan Cohn: The Battle for Obamacare and Universal Coverage

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Expanding health-care coverage has been a long, tumultuous process in the United States, but at its core, citizens want one thing: affordable, accessible health care. In 2010, the federal government passed the Affordable Care Act, the most expansive piece of legislation advocating for health-care accessibility since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. This policy, however, continues to divide the public as leaders from both political parties envision two conflicting futures for a nationalized health-care system.

In his new book, The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage, HuffPost correspondent Jonathan Cohn offers a compelling history of how Obamacare came to be, why it looks like it does, and what it’s meant for average Americans. For decades, political leaders have debated what’s wrong with our current health-care system and what should be done to fix it. Drawing from interviews, diaries, emails and memos, Cohn takes readers through the history of health-care reform and the dysfunction those changes have left in their wake.

Join us for a comprehensive look at one of the most impactful and controversial pieces of legislation in the past few decades.

SPEAKERS

Jonathan Cohn

Senior National Correspondent, HuffPost; Author, The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage

In Conversation with Anthony Wright

Executive Director, Health Access California

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on March 4th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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