More Americans comparison-shop for their auto mechanics than for their doctors. Yet, prices for health care services vary greatly within geographic areas and are not consistently linked to quality. This indicates that if consumers were empowered to choose high value providers and services, they could receive better care and save money. Within the U.S., the increasing prevalence of high deductible health plans and health savings accounts along with continued upward price trends makes it imperative for consumers to spend their health care dollars wisely. Lack of price and quality transparency presents a major barrier to consumer engagement. Access to information is only a first step, though. Value-based insurance design, which aligns consumers’ incentives with value, can further improve health care outcomes and affordability.
Primary Care: High-Value Care for Underserved Communities
FACT SHEET Abstract As American health care transitions toward value-based models, successful employers, plans, and health systems are finding strong primary care to be absolutely essential. The United States spends only 4-8% of healthcare dollars on primary care, compared to an average of approximately 12% among other industrialized countries – each of which spends substantially […]
Joint Fact Sheet in Support of the Improving Access to Medicare Act
Medicare beneficiaries are being denied access to Medicare’s skilled nursing facility (SNF) benefit because of the way hospital stays are classified.
Primary Care: Its Essential Role in a Value-Based Health Care System
As American health care transitions from volume to value, successful employers, plans, and health systems are finding strong primary care to be absolutely essential. Yet nationally, the United States spends only 4-8% of health care dollars on primary care, compared to an average of approximately 12% among other industrialized countries1 – each of which spends substantially less on health care than the United States. To build an American health care system that delivers better care at a lower cost, primary care must become a national health policy priority.
2016 & Prior Publications
Links to all 2016 & prior major publications from NCHC.