A panel of political scholars weighed in on the future of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the upcoming 2014 midterm elections.

The panel discussion, hosted by the Evanston Scholars Strategy Network, invited three scholars to share their insight to the NU community at NU’s Transportation Center, 600 Foster St. The panelists included Prof. Colleen Grogan, from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, Lawrence Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance in the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, and Illinois State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston).

The speakers highlighted the developments that have taken place throughout the nation since the implementation of the ACA in March 2010, including the enrollment of 7.3 million people and the expansion of Medicaid in 27 states and Washington, D.C.

Yet, among the uninsured there is a plurality of 47 percent who view health reform unfavorably because of a lack of awareness about the specifics of health care and how it will affect them, Jacobs said. When people start to become more aware and experience the benefits of the ACA, they lean toward support and reform, rather than elimination of the plan altogether, he said.

“There is this idea out there…that the Affordable Care Act is about a Washington takeover: The government is forcing you to do this,” Jacobs said. “But the more you actually look into what’s going on with health reform, the action is in the states.”

Grogan addressed the confusion surrounding health plans that obstruct Medicaid expansion among people who are in need of coverage.

“The lack of knowledge hinders mobilization around the program,” she said. “Even if you access private plans, even though we’re using an awful amount of public money, people don’t know they have claims on the state. They think their claim is on the private plan.”

Gabel said she and other Democrats are working on establishing a state-provided health insurance plan specific to Illinois, following the models implemented by 14 other states. Republicans are currently standing in the way of progress, because of the approaching deadline for requesting federal money for the development of these state-based exchanges, she said.

The panelists went on to point out the partisanship and party control variables that interfere with the expansion of Medicaid. Democratic voters who are most affected by the ACA tend not to turn out in as many numbers in midterm elections as they do in presidential elections, Jacobs said. The larger the Republican majority is within Congress, the more trouble the ACA is in, he said.

Grogan talked about how there are vast segments of the population that are vulnerable and don’t have coverage. With many Americans having some close connection to Medicaid and the dramatic increase in enrollment, there is a discrepancy between what people want and what states are doing, she said.

Weinberg junior Jonathan Kamel remarked how important it is for students to understand what the ACA does, its benefits and the parts of it that can be amended.

“The next two years will have a lot of effects on how the Affordable Care Act will progress, whether or not it will be amended and whether or not there will be bipartisan support to amend it in ways that can improve it,” Kamel said. “Over the coming years, it’s going to gather momentum and strength among Democrats, and Republicans will only have a small window in which they can attack it because it’s going to become more of a political fixture.”

Joseph Feinglass, a research professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, told The Daily that it’s important for students to be knowledgeable about the developments of the ACA.

“It’s crucial for young people who are citizens to know about health policy who are going to be voting,” he said. “It’s more than just what influences you personally. It’s what influences your country, and your community, and your families, your moms and dads. Students don’t particularly think of themselves as getting sick, but this is not something that has to do with just individual circumstances. This has to do with the public as a whole.”

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