
Strengthening 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.

What We're Working On
What We're Doing
Increasing vaccination rates to end the pandemic
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).
Recent Work


Some States Are Ready To Punish Abortion in a Post-Roe World

Hearings reveal Trump’s vast plan to overturn Americans’ votes

Hearing on Tax Policy for Inclusive Economic Growth
Latest

The Behavioral Health Care Affordability Problem
Policymakers could make behavioral health care, including mental health services, more affordable and accessible by enforcing network adequacy and parity provisions, lowering patient costs, and making networking with insurers more attractive for providers.

How To Ease the Nursing Shortage in America
The COVID-19 pandemic worsened a national shortage of registered nurses, making it increasingly urgent that policymakers invest in higher education, coordinate strategies to alleviate the pressures on the nursing workforce, and make the entire health care system more equitable and stable.

How Investing in Public Health Will Strengthen America’s Health
Investments in public health not only improve the health of society but also advance equity and foster economic and climate resiliency.

Top 10 Ways To Improve Health and Health Equity
Policies to strengthen the nation’s health must ensure that individuals and communities are healthy, thriving, and inclusive through long-term, sustained investments.

Measuring the Health Outcomes of Social, Economic, and Environmental Policies
A variety of analytic tools can clarify public health priorities and predict the health impact of policy solutions.

Preventing Disruptions to Coverage and Care After the Public Health Emergency
As the conclusion of the national public health emergency looms, state and federal policymakers should improve continuity of care for millions of Medicaid enrollees facing disenrollment and preserve critical access to COVID-19 testing and treatment.

Strengthening Federal Network Adequacy Requirements for ACA Marketplace Plans
In order to improve maternal health care access and outcomes for millions of pregnant and postpartum people in the United States, the federal government must ensure that health insurance plans available through the ACA marketplace offer robust maternity care provider networks.

Improving Health Outcomes for Black Women and Girls With Disabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed disparities in access, care, and health outcomes that Black disabled women and girls have had to face.

Maximizing Federal Investments To Address Social Determinants of Health
In its response to a request for information from the Congressional Caucus for Social Determinants of Health, CAP outlined challenges in addressing the social and economic conditions that affect health and actions Congress can take to improve them.

How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
States have several tools available to help relieve rural care shortages and increase health care provider supply during the pandemic and beyond.