AUA School of Public Health Seminar Series Covers the U.S. National Health Reform

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By the AUA School of Public Health

YEREVAN – On September 26, 2013, the AUA School of Public Health (SPH) hosted Michael S. Varadian, a senior health official from the U.S., who led an interactive seminar on the National Health Reform in the United States, or “ObamaCare.”

This is an important topic because on October 1^st, the United States began offering expanded enrollment in health insurance on health exchanges, where people can choose their insurance plan for 2014.

Students, faculty, and alumni from the AUA School of Public Health were eager to learn more about the recent health reforms in the U.S. and to compare them with recent reforms in Armenia.

Varadian explained the main goal of this reform: to provide an opportunity for more U.S. citizens to access affordable, quality health insurance and to reduce the growth in health care spending in the U.S.

He emphasized, “With over 50 million Americans uninsured and another 25 million under-insured, this has become a major issue across the nation. The country has been struggling with unaffordable health insurance and increasing healthcare costs and chronic illnesses, which need to be better managed and coordinated for improvements in health and costs to occur.”  He also spoke about the challenges of enrollment of the millions of individuals on health insurance exchanges, which are scheduled to begin in twenty-five states.

Michael S. Varadian JD, MBA, is currently the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals and is responsible for all national health reform pilot programs with Medicaid. Varadian earned his BS in Management and Investments from Babson College, an MBA from George Washington University, and a JD from Suffolk University.

The AUA School of Public Health works actively to improve the health of the populace and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals and others to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.