Caring About Long Term Care: An Ethical Framework for Caregiving
July 9, 2007, 9:00am – 12:00pmThanks in part to a century of progress in public health and medicine, many people are enjoying healthier lives. Yet the success of modern medicine also presents us with challenges: as Americans live longer, the need for long-term care and long-term caregivers will continue to grow. Indeed, a defining issue for current and coming generations is how the United States and other nations will address the needs of their aging populations and provide adequate care for the dependent elderly.
The number of Americans between the ages of 75 to 85 will double and those over 85 will quadruple in the first half of this century, overwhelming the nation's long-term care services with 80 million elderly by 2050-up from the 34 million today who are already mostly underserved or worse. The current health care system is poorly suited to serve the needs of the elderly and their families, and we lack a framework within which to address and improve it.
In a new report "Caring About Long Term Care: An Ethical Framework for Caregiving," Center for American Progress Visiting Fellow Lisa Eckenwiler discusses the importance of developing an ethical framework to deal with these problems. Please join CAP and a panel of distinguished experts as we examine the coming caregiving crisis and the means by which policymakers and advocates can ethically address it.
Getting Medicare Right
July 11, 2007, 10:00am – 11:00amMedicare policy has risen to the top of the congressional agenda this year. Health care reform is gaining support in Washington, D.C. and in many places around the country. Given the size of Medicare, changes made in that program can not only affect beneficiaries but also have a very large impact on health care policy across the board. Key elements in getting Medicare right include eliminating the overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans and reforming Medicare fee-for-service.
Settlements vs. Security – Why Addressing Settlements is Critical to Next Steps in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
July 12, 2007, 12:00pm – 2:00pmGiven recent developments in Israel and the Palestinian territories and efforts to ease conditions and work toward a political horizon, Sasson and General Paz offer a uniquely Israeli perspective on what is most needed on the ground, what is possible, and how it might work. There are few people with such expertise, seniority, and hands-on experience from within the Israeli system. We hope you can join us.
U.S. Congressional Policy and China (Postponed)
July 18, 2007, 9:00am – 10:00amChina's rapid economic growth and increasingly important role in world affairs poses many difficult questions for U.S. policymakers. How does Chinese economic growth affect U.S. competitiveness in the world? What kinds of policies should Congress sponsor to ensure a fair and productive trade relationship with China? How can the United States best encourage a beneficial and secure relationship with China economically, politically, and militarily? The Center for American Progress will host a conversation with U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), co-chairs of the U.S.-China Working Group, to examine these issues and discuss congressional opinions and attitudes toward China. The discussion will be moderated by CAP President and CEO John Podesta.
The bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group educates members of Congress on U.S.-China issues through meetings and briefings with academic, business, and political leaders from the United States.
Stressed (Postponed)
July 19, 2007, 12:30pm – 2:00pmShocking numbers of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering the psychological trauma of war: 45,000 have already sought assistance for post traumatic stress disorder and the American Psychological Association estimates that one-quarter of all soldiers and Marines returning from those conflicts bear the psychological scars of war. Even if these veterans are able to overcome the stigma still associated with psychological trauma and seek help, recent reports commissioned by the Pentagon found that mental health care for returning troops was not readily available nor were the practitioners suitably trained. America’s veterans and their families, who have been asked to sacrifice so much over the last six years, deserve the best physical and psychological care. It is time to bring this hidden toll of war out of the shadows.
Please join us as we welcome a distinguished panel to the Center for American Progress to discuss the state of active duty and veterans mental health programs.
No End in Sight
July 19, 2007, 7:00pm – 9:30pmOfficial Synopsis:
"A coolheaded, devastating expose" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"Enraging...apocalyptic...masterful." - Rob Nelson, Village Voice
The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq's descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality, and anarchy, "NO END IN SIGHT" is a jaw-dropping, insider's tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness, and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell Lawrence Wilkerson, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts.
"NO END IN SIGHT" examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy-the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military-largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world, or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions? "NO END IN SIGHT" dissects the people, issues, and facts behind the Bush administration's decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.
A recent report by the Center for American Progress, "Strategic Reset," will be available at the screening. The report calls for the United States to pick up the pieces left by President Bush's flawed Middle East strategy by building a comprehensive, sustained diplomatic approach across the region.Please join us for a provocative conversation with filmmaker Charles Ferguson and senior CAP fellow Brian Katulis following the screening.
No End In Sight
July 24, 2007, 7:00pm – 9:30pmOfficial Synopsis:
"A coolheaded, devastating expose" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"Enraging...apocalyptic...masterful." - Rob Nelson, Village Voice
The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq's descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality, and anarchy, "NO END IN SIGHT" is a jaw-dropping, insider's tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness, and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell Lawrence Wilkerson, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts.
"NO END IN SIGHT" examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy-the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military-largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world, or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions? "NO END IN SIGHT" dissects the people, issues, and facts behind the Bush administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.
Please join us for a provocative panel discussion and Q&A session immediately following the film during which panelists will discuss the film's deconstruction of the situation in Iraq.POSTPONED: Should Congress Override a Veto of the Homeland Security Funding Bill?
July 30, 2007, 11:00am – 12:00pmThis fall the White House and Congress will face off in an epic showdown over spending priorities. President Bush continues to insist that Congress provide more than $120 billion a year for an unpopular war in Iraq, while at the same time insisting that the additional $22 billion Congress wants to spend on domestic priorities will bust the budget. He has threatened to veto nearly all of the domestic appropriation bills now before the Congress.
It appears that the first appropriation bill Congress is likely to send the President will fund the Department of Homeland Security. According to a letter sent on June 12th "The Administration strongly opposes" that bill because the $2.1 billion it includes above the amount requested by the White House is "irresponsible and excessive."
But what is Congress spending that $2.1 billion on at Homeland Security that the White House so strongly objects to and should the Congress allow the veto to stand if the President makes good on his threat. These are questions that Congressman David Price, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that drafted the legislation will address at a Center for American Progress forum at 11:00 am on Monday, July 30, 2007.