OK Policy: The 2014 Elections and the Future of Health Reform

Oklahoma Policy Institute and the Oklahoma Scholars Strategy Network invite the public to attend a public talk on Monday, Nov. 10 by Dr. Lawrence R. Jacobs on “The 2014 Elections and the Future of Health Reform.” The event will be held at the Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, 4040 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, beginning at 11:45 am. Tickets, which includes lunch (vegetarian option provided), are $15.

Lawrence R. Jacobs is one of America’s foremost experts on health care policy. He serves as the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance in the Hubert H. Humphrey School and the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. His center is a preeminent hub for political and policy analysis in the Midwest.

Jacobs has published 14 books and edited volumes, as well as dozens of articles on elections, legislative and presidential politics, elections and public opinion, and a range of public policies including health care reform and American politics. His book, Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, revised and updated 2012), co-authored with Dr. Theda Skocpol, provides a definitive account of the political struggles that led to passage of the Affordable Care Act and the impact of the new law on American health care.

Dr. Jacobs will provide a timely assessment of health care reform following the 2014 midterm elections, which are expected to strengthen the power of Republicans in Congress and in states. 
Dr. Jacobs contends that the Republican victory may, ironically, end up being good news for health reform by shifting the opposition from repeal toward accepting the Affordable Care Act and focusing both parties on reforms of its basic structure. This shift will be fostered by the institutional checks in Washington, the expansion of state health reform, and the new set of rights and expectations that are emerging.

Jacobs is a member of the national Steering Committee of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) and Director of the Minneapolis-St. Paul SSN Regional Network. The Scholars Strategy Network seeks to improve public policy and strengthen democracy by organizing scholars working in America’s colleges and universities, and connecting scholars and their research to policymakers, citizens associations, and the media.

To purchase tickets for the event go to okpolicy.givezooks.com/events/the-2014-elections-and-the-future-of-health-reform. For more information, call (918) 794-3944.