Campaign 2012: The Future of Health Care

As America confronts the realities of an aging population and a federal budget deficit, methods for containing health care costs while improving the quality and access of care are critically important. With the Supreme Court now considering its constitutionality, the fate of the Affordable Care Act is in doubt, and Medicare costs are projected to rise rapidly. As the presidential candidates look toward the next four years, which reforms are most urgent, and is there sufficient political will to implement them? Can investments in information technology and public health make health care better and more cost-effective?

On May 4, the Campaign 2012 project at Brookings held a discussion on health care reform, the fifth in a series of forums to identify and address the 12 most critical issues facing the next president. David Nather of POLITICO Pro moderated a panel discussion with Brookings experts Alice Rivlin, Ross Hammond, Thomas Mann and Mark McClellan.