With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Congress has taken a major step toward reshaping large parts of the nation’s health care coverage, through cuts, restrictions, and regulatory changes. The new law’s most consequential provisions, like work requirements and provider-related cuts, are not going into effect until 2027 and 2028, leaving room for uncertainty and political recalibration.  

On this episode of Hospitals in Focus, Chip Kahn is joined by Jim Capretta - senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and senior adviser with the Bipartisan Policy Center – to discuss what the future of health care access and coverage looks like in light of the current political and policy climate.  

Key topics include:  

• The health provisions included in the OBBBA, the likelihood they take effect, and their anticipated impacts if they are.  
• The future of the individual market and Medicaid. 
• The Americans who may be caught in the middle of coverage losses.  
• The path forward on health policy.  

Guest bio: 

Jim Capretta is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he studies health care and entitlement policy. He is also a senior adviser with the Bipartisan Policy Center. He previously served in senior positions at the Office of Management and Budget and on the staffs of two congressional committees. He has an MA in public policy studies from Duke University and BA in government from the University of Notre Dame. 

He is the author of US Health Policy and Market Reforms: An Introduction, published by AEI in 2022.