Republicans slam it as “socialism,” but the truth is the Affordable Care Act was originally conceived by the Heritage Foundation in 1989 as a “conservative” way to solve what Nixon had called “the healthcare crisis.” Detractors trust say the private sector is more efficient, but our guest Jerry Flanagan, lead staff attorney for consumerwatchdog.org knows the new law backward and forward and demonstrates the ACA is far from perfect, as it leaves the insurance industry’s power in place, but it is all in all a good first step toward addressing the problems in our current system.