American health care policy debates have long been divided between those who support greater governmental regulation and those who favor more reliance on market incentives and consumer choice. Passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 did not end the debate, but it did increase pressure on those who are unsatisfied with the steady march toward more federal control. What is the alternative?

Ten health policy experts have come together to provide an answer to that question. Their plan, “Improving Health and Health Care: An Agenda for Reform,” will be released and summarized at this public event, with commentary from some of the plan’s coauthors and respected national experts.

The plan is co-authored by Joseph Antos, James C. Capretta, Lanhee J. Chen, Scott Gottlieb, Yuval Levin, Thomas P. Miller, Ramesh Ponnuru, Avik Roy, Gail Wilensky, and David Wilson.

At an AEI event on the secrets of the State of the Union speech, former President Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett acknowledged that the “keep your health care plan” pledge didn’t turn out to be as accurate as the administration planned.

At an AEI event Tuesday on the secrets of the State of the Union speech, former President Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett says the fact that people lost their health care plans is an unexpected reality of the situation.

Diagnosing the causes of mounting US health care costs and the disappointing health outcomes they produce is only the first step in finding better health policy solutions. Several promising lines of scholarly research suggest that key factors — including socioeconomic status, early childhood development, cognitive skills, personality traits, and behavioral economics — may be important determinants of long-term health status and should therefore be factored into policy solutions.

In many health “reform” discussions, we hear the same promises that are likely to produce the same unsatisfying results. Please join us for a broader exploration of targeted interventions that provide real promise for reducing health disparities, limiting or delaying the onset of chronic health conditions, and improving the performance of the US health care system.

America is unprepared to meet the coming long-term care needs of the baby boomers. Most of them do not have enough money or insurance to cover a long-term care event, and Medicaid will not have the money either. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, included as part of the president’s health reform legislation, would have created a new public entitlement but was terminated as fiscally unsustainable. When the Commission on Long-Term Care released its recommendations in September 2013, there was a clear split between commission members who favor private financing methods and those who favor social insurance.

Can Medicaid be counted on to cover long-term care expenses today and into the future? Has Medicaid crowded out the market for private long-term care insurance? Can families be expected to purchase long-term care coverage decades before they are likely to need it? What new financing approaches could effectively protect Americans from the potentially ruinous costs of long-term care? Please join us for a lively discussion featuring experts representing both sides of this debate.

What kinds of alternatives to Obamacare currently exist? AEI Resident Scholar James C. Capretta explains them here.

Since 2013, new health plans in 24 states were launched under the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan program of the Affordable Care Act. Some were quite successful in enrolling members (1 million as of earlier this year) and offering lower premiums. But co-ops in seven states already have failed or will be closed by the end of this year due to solvency and funding problems. What has already happened, and what is ahead for the remaining co-ops? An expert panel will analyze case histories of failed co-ops, the public policies that shaped them, and implications for health care consumers and taxpayers.

CEO for the Foundation for Government Accountability Tarren Bragdon discusses Medicaid expansion with former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Also attending: Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute.