(originally published 9/13/13) What is the state of health care in America? Can costs be reduced and outcomes improved? Will the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) implementation be successful? Which aspects of ACA are already having a positive impact? What to expect on October 1 when state health exchanges go online? , a fellow in the  at Brookings and also a practicing internal medicine physician with Johns Hopkins Medicine, speaks with host Fred Dews about these and other questions related to one of the most important aspects of our lives. Patel says that one thing that worries her about health care is that “nobody feels as if it is their responsibility to tackle that cost [of health care].” She also says that she is worried about "active resistance" to implementation of the Affordable Care Act despite the benefits that are already apparent. Show notes: , testimony by Kavita Patel to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee , testimony by Kavita Patel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee , Brookings book by William Haseltine , TIME magazine article by Steven Brill , Journal of the American Medical Association