Yale launches new health policy center with look at ACA’s impact in Connecticut
On Sept. 27, the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) at Yale and the Office of Senator Chris Murphy will host “Ready to Launch: The Affordable Care Act and US Health Policy.” The program is designed to unpack the policy contents of the Affordable Care Act by identifying what the law means for Connecticut residents and examining what’s next. Participants will also consider ways to improve the ACA, which will allow Americans to sign up for insurance coverage beginning Oct. 1.
“Ready to Launch” will take place 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect St. in New Haven. The event is free and open to the public.
Throughout the day, leading policy-makers, academic experts, and the medical community will come together to engage and educate the public about how the ACA in Connecticut impacts residents and businesses owners. Speakers include Zack Cooper, assistant professor of public health and economics at Yale; Jacob Hacker, director of the ISPS; and Amanda Kowalski, assistant professor of economics at Yale. Murphy will offer opening remarks and moderate panels.
The event also marks the opening of ISPS Health at Yale, a new initiative focused on promoting interdisciplinary research on health policy at the university. Led by Cooper as its director, ISPS Health at Yale will encourage student participation in health policy, coordinate health policy across the university, and formulate evidence-based policy analysis.
According to Cooper, the “Ready to Launch” event highlights core ISPS Health initiatives. “ISPS Health will carry out policy-relevant research and use it to improve the quality of health care in this country,” he says “Working with Senator Murphy on this event gave us an extraordinary opportunity to speak directly to Connecticut residents about what the best evidence suggests they should expect from the Affordable Care Act.”
Kevin Counihan, executive director of Access Health CT, will give the keynote address. Other panelists include Heather Meade, senior manager at Washington council Ernst & Young; Diane Rowland, executive vice president of Kaiser Family Foundation; and Joe Swartz, regional medical director of Montefiore Medical Group.
Information and registration for “Ready to Launch” can be found on the ISPS website. For those who are unable to attend in person, the program will be live streamed. In addition, each of the “Ready to Launch” speakers will have their own Twitter handles.
Media Contact
Amy Athey McDonald: amy.mcdonald@yale.edu,