Prescription for a Healthy America

One of the oldest and most enduring religious imperatives is to care for our neighbor—to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. The values of compassion and devotion to the common good are essential to most faiths and are deeply held by most Americans. These values inform our desire for social justice and our hope that all of our children lead healthy, productive lives.

Unfortunately, for far too many, such hope is not the reality, especially when it comes to health care. America's health care system is in crisis, excluding too many and costing too much. Today, 45 million Americans lack health insurance—nearly one in six Americans. Millions more watch their benefits shrink and struggle to pay premiums that are growing five times faster than their wages.

While some Americans enjoy the most sophisticated medical care in the world, others—particularly those without any health insurance—are relegated to overcrowded emergency rooms or under-funded clinics. Such inequity is wrong. It violates moral precepts of compassion and fairness and results in the suffering of those most vulnerable among us.

In response to this moral crisis, the Center for American Progress proposes a bold yet practical approach to guaranteeing an American right to affordable, quality health coverage. The Center's plan is a comprehensive proposal to improve our health, not just our health care system.

Rather than dismantling our health system and starting from scratch, the Center's plan builds on the strengths of our current system while responding to its serious shortcomings. By embracing this approach, the plan ensures affordable, quality health coverage for everyone, including those who have coverage today. Just as significantly, it is a responsible plan that raises the revenue needed to pay for its investment. The plan calls for tough choices and shared sacrifice. But Americans have never shied away from doing what is necessary to ensure greater opportunity and security for all.

The crisis in America's health care system is neither inevitable nor unsolvable. We can take inspiration from the past when our nation's leaders and citizens rose up to solve complex problems that seemed insurmountable in their day. Many took strength from their faith and worked to establish voting rights, labor laws and other freedoms that are now considered sacred.

A similar challenge faces this generation. Ensuring affordable health care for all Americans is not an easy task. But it is an essential one that furthers the promise of justice and dignity for all in our family. With conviction and persistence, armed with a practical, fair and responsible plan, this worthy goal can be achieved.

For more information about the Center's Prescription for a Healthy America, click here.