(CNSNews.com) - President Obama's former health policy adviser says the law is changing the nation's health care system for the better, as more people are treated by a health care "team," in their homes instead of in hospitals.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist, helped to design the Affordable Care Act, and he defended it Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union with Candy Crowley.
"Look, that issue of how the physician-patient relationship is going to change, there's no doubt it's going to change...I think, actually, much for the better," Emanuel said. "You're going to have more of a team. You're going to have nurse practitioners, you're going to have physicians, you're going to have pharmacists, you're going to have nutritionists advising patients.
"The second thing is, a lot more care is going to be moved into the home, out of the hospital, which is very appropriate because we're going to have a lot more ability to monitor people in the home, fewer infections, fewer falls and a big cost savings."
Emanuel said the law already has reduced hospital infections and hospital readmission rates.
As for Americans who are getting cancellation notices from their insurance companies, Emanuel said that's okay -- those plans "are not worth the paper they're written on.
"We would not allow unsafe cars without seat belts, without airbags, on the roads. Similarly, we should not allow health plans out there that are really not health plans," Emanuel said.
