Strengthening Public Health and Ending the Pandemic
CAP works to strengthen public health systems, respond to COVID-19 in equitable and sustainable ways, and improve health care coverage, access and affordability.
A pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic is seen in California. (Getty/Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Vaccination is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and avoiding preventable illness, death, and economic loss. We promote equitable vaccine policy and leveraging governmental and employers’ power to promote vaccination and pandemic recovery.
Strengthening public health infrastructure
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed inequities and existing weaknesses in the United States’ public health infrastructure. We’re focused on improving health equity by investing in public health, addressing social and economic factors that affect health, and preparing for future health threats.
Improving access to affordable health coverage
We’re dedicated to bolstering affordable, high-quality health coverage options. By building on the Affordable Care Act, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, and innovating progressive solutions, we envision a world in which everyone can access care.
Lowering health care prices and consumer costs
Health care affordability is a top consumer concern, and prices for health care and prescription drugs are inaccessibly high for many. One of our key priorities is improving America’s health by lowering costs to ensure all people can afford to manage their health.
By the Numbers
1.9
Life expectancy fell by 1.9 years in the pandemic—8.5 times more than peer countries.
Woolf, “Effect of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 on life expectancy across populations” (2021).
2x
The U.S. spends 2 times more as peer countries on health, with 8% lower life expectancy.
CAP, “The Declining Health of Americans” (2021).
7,000
Closing the Medicaid coverage gap would save 7,000 lives per year.
CAP, “Closing the Medicaid Coverage Gap Would Save 7,000 Lives Each Year” (2021).
2.8x
COVID hospitalized Black and Hispanic people at a rate 2.8 times higher than white people.
CDC, “Risk for COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death by Race/Ethnicity” (2021).
‘Blinking Red’: A Running Timeline of How the Trump Administration Ignored Warnings, Misled the Public, and Made the Coronavirus Crisis Worse
This interactive timeline presents the important details about what Trump and his administration have and haven’t done about the coronavirus pandemic—every ignored warning; every needless, wasteful fight; and every tragic misstep they try to spin into success.
This interactive allows users to see the harms that would result if the Affordable Care Act were repealed, with data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Interactive: Opportunities for States To Improve Infant Health Outcomes
This interactive allows users to see states' progress toward implementing policies to improve maternal and infant mortality and eliminate racial disparities in health across three domains: healthy families, economic and work supports, and infant health outcomes.
Interactive: Exploring Infant Health Outcomes Across Race and Ethnicity and by State
This interactive allows users to view the most recent available data on infant health outcomes across states and compare demographic groups to see how outcomes differ by race and ethnicity.
