Citizen's Guide to Health Care Reform: Understanding the Affordable Care Act

How do we create a health care system that includes every citizen, improves health outcomes, and reins in escalating costs? Dr. McCan shows how the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), called "Obamacare" by some, addresses these three fundamental concerns. Learn about the most far-reaching legislation of our time--as important for every American as Medicare is for senior citizens. Understand how the reforms build on the existing components of our system and provide for continuous improvement. Appreciate the political context and background of the legislation. Learn about and compare other countries' health care systems with our own. Consider the moral issues. Help prevent co-option of the reform legislation by special interests. Examine the Republican response. Detect misinformation and duplicity. Share a vision of how we can create a more humane and sustainable society. Dr. McCan presents complex information in a clear, factual, yet highly engaging way. He invites citizens to become informed and serve as advocates. He reminds them that a Republican victory in November would probably lead to repeal of this historic and live-giving legislation.

Robert L. McCan is a graduate of Yale University Divinity School. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburg, Scotland and continued his education as a Visiting Scholar with faculty status at Harvard University. Dr. McCan is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and began his career holding pastorates in three churches with 600 to 1,800 members. Dr. McCan founded and served as President of Dag Hammarskjold College. With a majority of students, faculty and Board from other countries, the international college created a miniature world community on campus. His career in government included executive positions in four federal agencies: the Office of Economic Opportunity; U.S. Office of Education; Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Dr. McCan also taught and consulted in the field of public policy. He was Assistant Professor of Political Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary and an Associate at the Churches Center for Theology and Public Policy, sponsored by mainline Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church to assist in developing positions on public policy. Dr. McCan's previous books include A Vision of Victory, World Economy and World Hunger, and Justice for Gays and Lesbians: Crisis and Challenge in the Episcopal Church. He is married to Peggy McCan. They live in Falls Church, Virginia and are members of Falls Church Episcopal, where he serves on the Vestry.