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

Health Care

Top Features

A Close Look at Health Care

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

Progressive Prescriptions

CAP proposes a bold but practical approach to guaranteeing an American right to affordable, quality health coverage.
There's No Excuse

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

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

July 2, 2009

CAP Comments on HHS Definition of "Meaningful Use" of Health IT

The Center for American Progress comments on the government’s proposed definition of “meaningful use” in health information technology.
June 29, 2009

Financing Health Care Reform

David M. Cutler and Judy Feder propose a plan to insure that the cost of health reform is budget-neutral. By David M. Cutler, Judy Feder
June 26, 2009

Weekly Round Up: June 22 - 26, 2009

This week CAP pushed for health care reform and global warming legislation and argued for ending "Don't Ask Don't Tell."
June 24, 2009

Payment Reform to Improve Health Care

Ellen-Marie Whelan and Judy Feder examine the most prominent payment reform proposals and innovative models to offer ways forward on health payment reform. By Ellen-Marie Whelan, Judy Feder
June 24, 2009

The Two Trillion Dollar Solution

We can save money by modernizing the health care system; Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin and David Cutler explain how. By Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, David M. Cutler
June 23, 2009

Removing Obstacles to Generic Drug Competition

Report from David Balto examines anticompetitive conduct that may delay the emergence of generic drugs and offers solutions. By David Balto
June 16, 2009

Interactive Map: Health Care Competition

An interactive map shows that in many states health insurance markets are dominated by a handful of carriers. By Ben Furnas, Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza
June 15, 2009

Public Opinion Snapshot: Move on Health Care Reform Now (and Don’t Forget the Public Plan!)

The public wants action on health care reform now, writes Ruy Teixeira, and they want it to include a public plan. By Ruy Teixeira
June 11, 2009

Use Medicare to Hold Industry to Cost and Quality Promises

Judy Feder and Marilyn Moon in Kaiser Health News discuss how to use Medicare to hold the health care industry to cost and quality promises. By Judy Feder, Marilyn Moon
June 8, 2009

Helping Breadwinners When It Can’t Wait

Heather Boushey lays out a progressive program that would guarantee Americans access to paid family and medical leave, giving a boost to workers, employers, and the economy. By Heather Boushey
June 3, 2009

Animation: Why Americans Need Health Reform

Animation shows that without health reform, businesses’ and families' costs will continue to rise, and American workers will not receive the care they need to be healthy.
June 3, 2009

Efficiency and Quality

Report from Paul B. Ginsburg details how health care payment reform can help control rising health care costs. By Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D.
May 29, 2009

The Cost of Doing Nothing on Health Care

Interactive map from Peter Harbage and Ben Furnas shows that lack of health insurance brings steep economic costs to states in the form of lost productivity. By Peter Harbage, Ben Furnas
May 28, 2009

Ask the Expert: Can We Afford Not to Modernize the Health System?

Karen Davenport explains why health reform is crucial to balancing the budget and how quickly we could begin to see savings. By Karen Davenport
May 28, 2009

Health Reform that Works for Kids

As policymakers consider options for health reform, they must remember to watch out for the needs of children, too, writes Karen Davenport in a CAP Action report. By Karen Davenport
May 26, 2009

What Is Comparative Effectiveness Research?

Ellen-Marie Whelan discusses why we need evidence-based health care, how it will improve health, and how we can promote it. By Ellen-Marie Whelan
May 22, 2009

CAP Comments on HHS Health Data Breach Guidelines

Strong technical standards should be built into proposed data breach guidelines for health care records as new health information technology is implemented. By Peter Swire
May 22, 2009

Weekly Round Up: May 18 - 22, 2009

We supported clean-energy legislation, hosted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and imagined what America would look like without health reform.
May 21, 2009

America Without Health Care Reform

Without reform, our broken health care system will continue to squeeze families, businesses, doctors, the federal budget, and the economy, writes Ben Furnas. By Ben Furnas
May 18, 2009

A Historic Opportunity

Report from Todd Park and Peter Basch on wedding health information technology to care delivery innovation and provider payment reform. By Todd Park, Peter Basch
May 11, 2009

Ask the Expert: Fixing Our Broken Health Care System

Everyone will benefit from an improved health care system. Judy Feder explains how and why. By Judy Feder
May 11, 2009

Health System Modernization Will Reduce the Deficit

Modernizing the health system could help the government save nearly $600 billion in health spending over the next decade, writes David Cutler in a CAP Action report. By David M. Cutler
May 8, 2009

Weekly Round Up: May 4 - May 8, 2009

This week the center documented the loss of insurance coverage and jobs, looked at education entrepreneurs, and reported on the growing problem of wildfires in the West.
May 8, 2009

Coverage When It Counts

CAP Action report by Karen Pollitz, Eliza Bangit, Jennifer Libster, Stephanie Lewis, and Nicole Johnston proposes truthful labeling for health insurance policies to improve transparency and information for consumers. By Karen Pollitz, Eliza Bangit, Jennifer Libster, Stephanie Lewis, Nicole Johnston
May 4, 2009

Interactive Map: Dramatic Increase in the Uninsured Rate in Every State

An interactive map shows a 13-percent increase since 2007 in the number of Americans without health insurance.
May 4, 2009

More Americans Losing Health Insurance Every Day

An analysis by Nayla Kazzi of health coverage losses during the current recession underscores the urgent need for health reform. By Nayla Kazzi
May 4, 2009

Interactive Map: Health Care in Crisis

Almost two-thirds of uninsured adults work, and that number is expected to grow in the coming years, show Peter Harbage and Ben Furnas in an interactive map. By Peter Harbage, Ben Furnas
May 1, 2009

Comparative Effectiveness Research Will Help People Make Better Health Choices

Comparative effectiveness research will help people make better health choices, write Ruth Faden and Jonathan D. Moreno in the Baltimore Sun. By Ruth Faden, Jonathan D. Moreno
April 28, 2009

Better Information, Better Decisions

Comparative effectiveness research will help everyone make better health decisions, and it will bring down costs and improve care, writes Ellen-Marie Whelan. By Ellen-Marie Whelan
April 27, 2009

Swine Flu Tests Public Health System

The outbreak is a test for the government’s capacity to respond to public health threats, and so far, the response has been good, write P.J. Crowley and Andy Grotto. By P.J. Crowley, Andrew J. Grotto
April 27, 2009

Weekly Round Up: April 27 - May 1, 2009

This week CAP looked at swine flu, rescinding the Bush conscience rule, and the growing importance of women as breadwinners.
April 23, 2009

Assuring Access to Employer-Provided Health Coverage

CAP Action Director of Health Policy Karen Davenport testifies before the House Committee on Education and Labor on making employer-provided coverage accessible and affordable. By Karen Davenport
April 14, 2009

Ask the Expert: How to Build an Effective Public Health Insurance Plan

Peter Harbage discusses why we need a public health insurance plan, what would make it effective, and how it would make health care more affordable for all. By Peter Harbage
April 14, 2009

Health Reform: Delivering for Those Who Deliver Health Care

CAP Action report from Robert A. Berenson and Ellen-Marie Whelan details how health reform will benefit health care professionals. By Robert A. Berenson, Ellen-Marie Whelan
April 10, 2009

Weekly Round Up: April 6 - 10, 2009

This week, CAP proposed smart ways to spend stimulus money, reform health care and the defense budget, and make the Treasury's toxic asset program work.
April 8, 2009

Interactive Map: Individuals with Pre-Existing Conditions

A map by Ben Furnas shows the numbers and percentages of adults aged 18-64 in each state who have conditions that insurers use as a pretext to raise rates, restrict coverage, or deny insurance altogether. By Ben Furnas
April 2, 2009

Lessons from Medicare for Health Care Reform

Report from Marilyn Moon shows that Medicare’s experience offers a number of key lessons that can help in the development of affordable health coverage for all Americans. By Marilyn Moon
April 2, 2009

Ask the Expert: The Case for Health Reform

Peter Harbage explains why we need health reform, who will benefit from it, and what's at stake if Congress is unable to enact reform. By Peter Harbage
March 26, 2009

Health Care's Efficiency Dividend

Eliminating inefficiency in the health care system could reduce costs, writes CAP Action's Peter Harbage. By Peter Harbage
March 25, 2009

Competitive Health Care

CAP Action's Peter Harbage and Karen Davenport outline Public Plan Choice, a public health insurance plan that would deliver market discipline. By Peter Harbage, Karen Davenport
March 25, 2009

The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform

CAP Action's Judy Feder and Professor Harriet L. Komisar testify on the need for public action to improve long-term care services and supports. By Judy Feder, Harriet L. Komisar
March 23, 2009

The Cost Shift from the Uninsured

CAP Action report finds that American family health care premiums cost $1,100 more because our system doesn’t provide continuous coverage for all. By Ben Furnas, Peter Harbage
March 23, 2009

The Inefficient Individual Health Insurance Market

CAP Action's Peter Harbage finds that higher administrative costs on the individual market will mean $3.0 billion in extra expenses for American families in 2009. By Peter Harbage
March 17, 2009

The Importance of Assuring Affordable Health Care for All

CAP Action Senior Fellow Judy Feder testifies on the importance of assuring affordable health care for all Americans. By Judy Feder
March 4, 2009

Health Reform in an Aging America

CAPAF Senior Fellow Judy Feder testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging on the need to improve long-care services and supports. By Judy Feder
February 27, 2009

One Step Closer to Better Health Care

The Obama administration’s budget contains promising evidence that health care reform is a top priority, writes Karen Davenport. By Karen Davenport
February 20, 2009

Entitlement Reform Means Fixing the Broader Health System

Lester Feder and Ellen-Marie Whelan discuss how to solve Medicare and Medicaid’s budget challenges in this health policy brief. By Lester Feder, Ellen-Marie Whelan
February 20, 2009

Weekly Round Up

Find out what happened this week at CAP: readying for health reform, help for homeowners, and gearing up for the Oscars.
February 19, 2009

Medicare Matters

The right way to control Medicare costs is to have Medicare lead the way in system-wide health reform, write Judy Feder and Marilyn Moon. By Judy Feder, Marilyn Moon
February 12, 2009

Setting the Health System Up to Fail

It’s no surprise that most of the Medicare demonstrations failed, writes Ellen-Marie Whelan; the useful lessons are in the two that succeeded. By Ellen-Marie Whelan

» More

Subscribe to RSS Feeds

RSS IconSite-Wide and Issue-Specific RSS Feeds

Where We Stand on Health Care

Our health care team develops policy solutions and analysis that will advance the cause of universally affordable and valuable coverage, playing an active role in shaping key health care debates. Beginning with CAP’s 2005 proposal for health insurance reform, “Progressive Prescriptions for a Healthy America,” our experts have focused on expanding health insurance coverage, controlling costs, improving value in the health care system, and making prevention a national priority.