Center for American Progress Center for American Progress
Issues Domestic Health Care

Health Care

Top Features

A Close Look at Health Care

These issue briefs from CAP's health experts can help you better understand some of the key concepts factoring into the health reform debate.

Progressive Prescriptions

CAP proposes a bold but practical approach to guaranteeing an American right to affordable, quality health coverage.

There's No Excuse

See CAP's new idea, a Wellness Trust, and reports by other experts on overhauling the American health care system.

The Health Care Delivery System

Book brings together health policy experts and practitioners to put forward recommendations that address key health delivery issues.

Other Health Care Features

November 16, 2009

Stupak Amendment Changes Abortion Status Quo

This chart from Jessica Arons shows how current health reform bills treat abortion funding, comparing the House and Senate bills to the current law. By Jessica Arons
November 13, 2009

House Health Bill Will Help Unmarried Women

As the Senate debates health reform legislation, it should look to several provisions in the House bill that would help unmarried women, write Liz Weiss and Page Gardner. By Page Gardner, Liz Weiss
November 6, 2009

Interactive Map: American Workers Are Rapidly Losing Health Coverage

Interactive map shows that nearly one in five working adults lack health insurance, and 60 percent of the uninsured are employed. By Sonia Sekhar
November 5, 2009

Progressive People of Faith Call for Health Reform

Marta Cook highlights what faith groups across the country are doing to support health care reform. By Marta Cook
November 5, 2009

Interactive Map: Insurance Market Concentration Creates Fewer Choices

Interactive map from Karen Davenport and Sonia Sekhar shows that one carrier dominates the market in 17 states, and two dominate in 22 more. By Karen Davenport, Sonia Sekhar
November 3, 2009

Why We Need Health Care Reform

Updated fact sheets show how our broken health care system affects people in each state.
November 3, 2009

Expanding the Primary Care Workforce

Our primary care workforce is already stretched; Ellen-Marie Whelan offers solutions for coping with the shortfall, particularly if we achieve health care reform. By Ellen-Marie Whelan
November 2, 2009

Health Care Reform Can Treat the National Deficit

Christina Romer explains the link between health care reform and the budget deficit at CAP.
November 2, 2009

Ask the Expert: Health Spending Drives Deficits

Without reform, the federal government will spend more on health care in 2019 than any other category, including defense or social security, explains Michael Linden. By Michael Linden
October 28, 2009

Unlocking Competition

David Balto and Stephanie Gross on why the federal government needs to eliminate the antitrust exemption for health insurers. By David Balto, Stephanie Gross
October 27, 2009

Interview with the Makers of "Money-Driven Medicine"

Reel Progress interviews Alex Gibney and Maggie Mahar about their new film, "Money-Driven Medicine."
October 27, 2009

Unmarried and Uninsured

An issue brief from Liz Weiss, Ellen-Marie Whelan, and Jessica Arons explores the barriers single women face in the health insurance market. By Liz Weiss, Ellen-Marie Whelan, Jessica Arons
October 26, 2009

Health Care Spending Is Driving Future Deficits

CBO estimates that federal spending on health care by 2019 will be the largest category of federal spending, outstripping defense, social security and all other programs, writes Michael Linden. By Michael Linden
October 23, 2009

Insurers’ Black Box

Report from Scot J. Paltrow shows how currently secret claims denial rates could tell consumers a lot about their insurance company. By Scot J. Paltrow
October 22, 2009

Don’t Leave It to the States

David Balto and Stephanie Gross explain why leaving health insurance oversight to state regulators is a dangerous idea. By David Balto, Stephanie Gross
October 20, 2009

Medical Debt: Can Bankruptcy Reform Facilitate a Fresh Start?

CAP Action Senior Fellow Elizabeth Edwards testifies before the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts. By Elizabeth Edwards
October 19, 2009

The Interview with John Podesta

John Podesta was President Clinton's last chief of staff at the White House. Now from the vantage point of heading the Democrat's favorite think tank, he is an informal advisor to President Barack Obama who is playing high stakes in trying to get his health care plans through. On The Interview Carrie Gracie gets John Podesta's inside view of the president's progress. By John Podesta
October 13, 2009

Why the Savings from Health Care Reform Are Underappreciated

The lack of a whole-hearted, landslide, public embrace of health reform is surprising considering that unless your family earns over $250,000, reform costs you nothing and, the president's health care plan, if enacted, is estimated to increase the income of the average family of four by about $10,000 in 2030. By Sima J. Gandhi
October 5, 2009

Why Health Reform Is the Right Prescription for Health Professionals and Their Patients

Ellen-Marie Whelan and Mandy Krauthamer go through the health bills and show why health reform is the right prescription for health professionals and their patients. By Ellen-Marie Whelan, Mandy Krauthamer
October 5, 2009

This Week in Congress: October 5-9, 2009

This week Congress continues to debate health care reform and discusses fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills.
October 5, 2009

Ask the Expert: Bending the Health Care Cost Curve

Ellen-Marie Whelan explains what it means to "bend the cost curve" on health care and how we can achieve it through health reform. By Ellen-Marie Whelan
September 30, 2009

Abortion Funding Fundamentals

This chart from Jessica Arons shows how current health reform bills treat abortion funding, comparing the House and Senate bills to current law. By Jessica Arons
September 30, 2009

Seniors Suffering

Seniors and older Americans are especially vulnerable to skyrocketing costs and abusive insurance company practices under the current health care system.
September 29, 2009

Stronger Health Through Enhanced Information

Physician and former White House Fellow Brian Alexander explains how comparative effectiveness research will improve health quality and costs. By Brian Alexander
September 29, 2009

Better Health Through Better Information

Issue brief from Ellen-Marie Whelan and Sonia Sekhar explains how comparative effectiveness research will help deliver better health care. By Ellen-Marie Whelan, Sonia Sekhar
September 29, 2009

Ask the Expert: Senator Tom Daschle on How Health Reform Helps Seniors

Senator Tom Daschle discusses how all seniors will benefit from health care reform and why we can't afford not to improve our health care system. By Senator Tom Daschle
September 21, 2009

Ask the Expert: Health Reform Helps Women and Families

Senator Tom Daschle discusses how health care reform will help women and families, and why incremental reform won't work. By Senator Tom Daschle
September 17, 2009

Why a Public Health Insurance Option Is Essential

David Balto argues in Health Affairs that incremental reforms without a public option will be smothered by health insurers with decades of experience manipulating the market. By David Balto
September 15, 2009

Family Health Spending to Rise Rapidly

Growing health care costs are becoming unsustainable for the more than 160 million Americans with employer-sponsored care, writes Sonia Sekhar. By Sonia Sekhar
September 10, 2009

Ask the Expert: President Obama Moves the Health Debate Forward

Karen Davenport provides analysis of President Obama's health care speech and insight into what we can expect in the weeks to come. By Karen Davenport
September 10, 2009

Census Losses in Health Coverage Make Reform More Urgent

Comprehensive health reform is critical as employer-based coverage continues to decline, argues Karen Davenport. By Karen Davenport
September 9, 2009

Why Women Stand to Gain the Most From Health Care Reform

Women have everything to gain if meaningful health care reform succeeds and everything to lose if it fails. Why? Because the current system discriminates against women in numerous ways. By Jessica Arons
August 31, 2009

Interactive: Health Care Reform and You

Interactive calculator allows you to see how health reform will effect you and you family, including your insurance status and tax payments.
August 26, 2009

You May Need a Score Card for Health Care Reform

No industry has more to gain—or lose—from health reform as private, for-profit insurance companies, writes Scott Lilly. By Scott Lilly
August 25, 2009

How the Health Insurance Exchange Really Works

The health exchange is an important, yet complex component of health reform. This video explains what it is and how it works.
August 25, 2009

Ask the Expert: Health Reform Will Help the Insured and the Sick

Tom Daschle discusses how health reform will help Americans who have insurance and how it aids those with health problems. By Senator Tom Daschle
August 19, 2009

Atta Boy, Barney

Sam Fulwood wonders why more health reform proponents aren't fighting back against conservative misinformation with logic, reason, and courage. By Sam Fulwood III
August 18, 2009

Small Businesses Win With Health Reform

Health reform legislation has particular benefits for small businesses; this calculator will shows you how much your small business could benefit. By Peter Harbage
August 18, 2009

Ask the Expert: Why We Need Health Reform

Senator Tom Daschle on why we need health reform—why it is good for families, for doctors, for businesses, and for governments. By Senator Tom Daschle
August 13, 2009

Ask the Expert: Health Reform Is Good for Doctors and Patients

Senator Tom Daschle on why he believes we need health reform and how it will help all Americans, including doctors and patients, the insured and the uninsured. By Senator Tom Daschle
August 12, 2009

Opening the “Front Door” of a Reformed Health Care System

CAP Action report from Victoria Wachino and Karen Davenport outlines six lessons from Medicaid on promoting participation in health coverage. By Victoria Wachino, Karen Davenport
August 12, 2009

Ask the Expert: The Broken Individual Health Insurance Market

Peter Harbage explains how the individual market is different from employer-sponsored insurance, and how health reform would improve health care for all. By Peter Harbage
August 12, 2009

Achieving a Culture of Health Coverage

CAP Action report from Peter Harbage and Hilary Haycock details a plan for making individual health insurance more affordable and accessible. By Peter Harbage, Hilary Haycock
July 31, 2009

Why We Need Health Reform

State-by-state fact sheets show the need for health reform in every state.
July 30, 2009

A Taxing Problem

Last week, five pro-life Democrats, headed by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), sent Speaker Pelosi a letter suggesting a "common ground" solution to the abortion "roadblock" in health care reform. They proposed that insurance companies neither be required to nor prohibited from paying for abortion and that no federal subsidies be used to pay for the procedure. By Jessica Arons
July 29, 2009

Ask the Expert: Making Health Care Affordable for Small Businesses

Peter Harbage discusses why small businesses are hit so hard by rising health care costs and how health care reform can help. By Peter Harbage
July 28, 2009

Medical Debt: Is Our Health Care System Bankrupting Americans?

CAP Action's Elizabeth Edwards testifies before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. By Elizabeth Edwards
July 24, 2009

Health Care Premiums Run Amok

Unless we take serious steps now to reform our health care system, health insurance coverage will slip out of reach for even more Americans writes David Cutler. By David M. Cutler
July 23, 2009

Technology in Health Care: Panelists Debate IT Policy

A CAP event parses the definition of 'meaningful use' of health IT, and discusses the relationship between health IT and health care reform.
July 22, 2009

Ask the Expert: Getting More Value from the Health System

Karen Davenport explains what it means to modernize the health care system and how it could save Americans $550 billion over 10 years. By Karen Davenport

» More

Subscribe to RSS Feeds

RSS IconSite-Wide and Issue-Specific RSS Feeds

Where We Stand on Domestic Issues

CAP’s policy priorities for U.S. domestic policymaking center on building opportunities for all Americans to share in the American Dream. Our policy work concentrates on the core engines that drive equal opportunity and shared prosperity—education, health care, government oversight, poverty, women's rights. Our progressive domestic priorities underscore our commitment to government that works for the common good.