This indispensable guide to the Affordable Care Act, our new national health care law, lends an insider’s deep understanding of policy to a lively and absorbing account of the extraordinary―and extraordinarily ambitious―legislative effort to reform the nation’s health care system. Dr. John E. McDonough, DPH, a health policy expert who served as an advisor to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, provides a vivid picture of the intense effort required to bring this legislation into law. McDonough clearly explains the ACA’s inner workings, revealing the rich landscape of the issues, policies, and controversies embedded in the law yet unknown to most Americans. In his account of these historic events, McDonough takes us through the process from the 2008 presidential campaign to the moment in 2010 when President Obama signed the bill into law. At a time when the nation is taking a second look at the ACA, Inside National Health Reform provides the essential information for Americans to make informed judgments about this landmark law. “Superb. . . . Likely to become required reading for anyone who wishes (or claims) to understand health care in the United States.” ― Health Affairs “McDonough has done the hard work of breaking a large and historic piece of legislation down into a sober, balanced, thorough, readable, and important book. Recommended.” ― Library Journal “Admirably clear and terse . . . Provides the best explanation available, which occupies most of his book, of the many individual components of the ten titles of the final act.” ― New York Review of Books “Unique. . . . A highly readable account of how national health reform came to be and what it will accomplish. . . . Offers a perspective available to few others. . . . The general reader will find it accessible, highly informative, and well worth his or her time.” ― World Medical & Health Policy Journal “John’s firsthand account of the development, passage and enactment of the Affordable Care Act breathes life and sheds light into the history, process and substance of this landmark legislative achievement. Much like the crafting of the legislation itself, the painstaking work to produce this book will serve generations of people and policymakers, regardless of how the final chapter on this law – its implementation or repeal – is ultimately written.”--Chris Jennings, Former Senior Health Care Advisor for President Bill Clinton "John McDonough is the ideal person to help us understand the significance and likely impact of health care reform. His knowledge and wisdom enables him to provide thoughtful insights about how our health care system will be improved by this legislation. Anyone interested in understanding our evolving health care system should read this book."--Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA “John McDonough provides fascinating insight into how the Affordable Care Act – really 10 pieces of legislation rolled into one – made it through the labyrinth of Congress to the president’s desk. And, more importantly, he explains how reform will benefit just about everyone, and put the U.S. health system on the path to high performance with better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency for decades to come.”--Karen Davis, PhD, President, The Commonwealth Fund “John McDonough’s unique perspective captures the context and progress of health reform from genesis to conclusion. Of course the odyssey of American health reform is not concluded, but this book will do a great service to understanding how we got this far."--Charles N. Kahn III, President and CEO, Federation of American Hospitals “John’s firsthand account of the development, passage and enactment of the Affordable Care Act breathes life and sheds light into the history, process and substance of this landmark legislative achievement. Much like the crafting of the legislation itself, the painstaking work to produce this book will serve generations of people and policymakers, regardless of how the final chapter on this law – its implementation or repeal – is ultimately written.”--Chris Jennings, Former Senior Health Care Advisor for President Bill Clinton "John McDonough is the ideal person to help us understand the significance and likely impact of health care reform. His knowledge and wisdom enables him to provide thoughtful insights about how our health care system will be improved by this legislation. Anyone interested in understanding our evolving health care system should read this book."--Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA “John McDonough provides fascinating insight into how the Affordable Care Act – really 10 pieces of legislation rolled into one – made it through the labyrinth of Congress to the president’s desk. And, more importantly, he explains how reform will benefit just about everyone, and put the U.S. health system on the path to high performance with better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency for decades to come.”--Kare