A View from the Bridge by Paul Bridgewater, President & CEO

President Trump has called for the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – the landmark health care reform law commonly known as Obamacare. It was the largest overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the 1960s – all 2700 pages of it. It provides affordable options for health insurance coverage and it focuses on wellness, early detection and prevention, instead of treatments and cures. It also mandates that every U.S. citizen maintain minimum healthcare coverage or face penalties. In other words, it makes every citizen responsible for maintaining health. And, by requiring health plans to provide at least 15 free preventive services and one wellness visit, the ACA provides a means for citizens to do so.   

This concentration on the causes of chronic disease shifted all of us from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention – the true keys to healthy aging. It also fueled the creation of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging Community Wellness Service Centers – five locations in our service area that will help extend longevity and improve the quality of life for citizens close to the places they live. At the five sites, residents will have everything from congregate meals to health, nutrition, fitness, financial and social programming to extend longevity and improve the quality of life as we age.                   

For the list of service centers and more information, click here.

You may have known us for Meals on Wheels and our initial research on health disparities, Dying Before Their Time. Now we are providing access to an array of education and services that will lead to Living Long, Living Well. I can’t wait to report those results.