Author and Journalist Jonathan Cohn Discusses Health Care and the 2026 Election
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, the Yale School of Management, and the Yale School of Public Health hosted a conversation with writer Jonathan Cohn on Sept. 24. The event was supported by the Poynter Fellowship in Journalism and co-sponsored by the Yale Health Law & Policy Society (YHeLPS).
Cohn is a senior national correspondent at The Bulwark, where he writes “The Breakdown,” a newsletter on public policy and its impact on American life. A two-time winner of the Sidney Hillman Prize for journalism, he was previously a writer and editor for HuffPost, The New Republic, and The American Prospect. His books include “Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis — and the People Who Pay the Price” and “The 10-Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage.” Cohn was joined by Dr. Megan L. Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health and the C.-E. A. Winslow Professor of Public Health and Professor of Emergency Medicine. Solomon Center Faculty Director and Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law Abbe R. Gluck ’00 moderated the conversation.
The discussion began with a look back at the history of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how the country arrived at its current health policy landscape. The speakers considered the political and judicial forces that have shaped the ACA, as well as why coverage and affordability gaps have persisted despite the law and later efforts to build on it. The conversation then turned to Americans’ growing mistrust of the health care system and the challenges for health policymakers.
The event concluded with questions from the standing-room-only audience, which included students and faculty from across Yale Law School, Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Management, Yale School of Nursing, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Yale College.
About the Solomon Center
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School is the first of its kind to focus on the intersection of law and the governance, practice, and business of health care. The Center brings together leading experts and practitioners from the public and private sectors to address cutting-edge questions of health law and policy, and to train the next generation of top health lawyers, industry leaders, policymakers, and academics.
