By Kristina Berwyn-Shaw

The impact of the Affordable Care Act on health care consumers, and the role it plays in Health Care Reform, is being analyzed by industry experts and the media. Recently, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s Breakfast Club held a forum titled “Health Care Reform- Now What?“ which included a knowledgeable panel of health care and public policy experts, sharing their insight on this important topic.

As a member of  San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine’s Public Policy committee, I attended the forum which provided helpful information and insightful analysis. Furthermore, the panel outlined the practical implications on the Supreme Court’s June 2012 ruling, which upheld the majority of the Affordable Care Act.

While the full extent of health care reform is still yet to be determined, the panelists succinctly highlighted and explained the main points behind the reform provisions; specifically, how California health care providers and consumers will be impacted.  Panelists included:

• Gregory Knoll, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of San Diego
• Anne McLeod, SVP Health Policy, California Hospital Association
• Michael Pondrom, COO, Discovery Benefit Solutions
• George “Jody” Root, Jr., Partner, Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLC

Access the full, recorded 90-minute panel here: http://ustre.am/:1DBQB or view tweets from the event by accessing the Twitter Hashtag: #SDCTAforum.

Kristina Berwyn-Shaw is the Co-Chair of the San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine’s Public Policy Committee. The goal of the committee is to share legislative information and action opportunities with our community, form relationships with local, regional, state and federal elected officials and create a collaborative relationship with hospice and palliative care advocates. For more information, please visit the Public Policy webpage.