Special to the Courier

ALAMOSA The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare, has been the topic of information and misinformation since it was signed into law in 2010, but a forum at Adams State University Saturday cleared up a number of questions.

Talk Straight With Adams State drew a good crowd and a panel of experts, who worked to advise their listeners about PPACA.

Educational programs will begin in June of this year, while preparations will begin in October, then the PPACA will go into full effect in January 2014.

Although the state of Colorado is at least two years ahead of much of the nation in terms of health care, there is still confusion, which was addressed in detail.

Colorado has begun its own health care reform, giving it a leg up as the nation moves toward full implementation of the PPACA.

Facilitated by Adams State University Community Partnerships, the forum and panel discussion revolved around how the Act will affect citizens of the San Luis Valley.

Saturdays panel included Tom Deegan, a registered nurse and author of Healthcare: A View from the Trenches; Dr. Ned Calonge, president and CEO of the Colorado Trust; Reginaldo Garcia, PhD. UCD, Rocky Mt. Prevention Research Center; Russ Johnson, CEO of the SLV Regional Medical Center; Gigi Darricades, CEO of Valley-Wide Health Systems(VWHS); Marguerite Salazar, regional director for the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Armando Valdez, ASU professor of health care administration.

Moderating the discussion, Valdez reminded the audience that PPACA is the law of the land and will go into full effect in 2014, though some provisions are currently being administered.

Following a welcome by ASU President David Svaldi, who exhibited his newly obtained Medicare card, Salazar began her presentation with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., about the severe urgency of now, which drives the transformation of health care.

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ASU forum tackles health care questions