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Improving the Affordability of Coverage

NCHC Writers Update at May 20, 2023

The costs of health coverage are again escalating much more rapidly than general inflation—which puts increasing pressure on wages and jobs, access to needed health care, employer and family budgets, productivity, and the global competitiveness of American firms. These are major challenges that require a serious national policy response, but unfortunately Washington is locked in battle over whether millions of Americans should have health care coverage at all.

NCHC is calling for a fresh, bipartisan approach – one that begins by preventing disruption to existing coverage and goes on to fix what’s broken in American health care overall.

The focus should be on the underlying causes of high health care costs, including the following:

Waste and unnecessary care, largely driven by a volume-based fee-for service payment
The high costs of prescription drugs
The lack of coordinated care for high-cost patients
Inadequate support for primary care, resulting in avoidable specialty care, hospital stays, and institutionalization
Lack of investment in population health

These five factors drive high costs without adding value, and are a more constructive focus for efforts to move our health system toward better performance and more affordable costs for everyone.

Recent Publications from NCHC on this topic:

Top of The Administration’s Agenda: Stem the Rising Cost of Healthcare

National Coalition on Health Care Urges A Fresh Start on Health Care Legislation

National Coalition on Health Care Calls on Senate to Take Alternative Course to Address Health Care Affordability

It’s time for Congress to shift focus from cost-shifting to cost-saving

NCHC Urges a “No” Vote on “Skinny Repeal” & Underlying Bill

National Coalition on Health Care Presses Congress for Bipartisan Solutions in Advance of Approaching Deadlines

After Debt Ceiling Deal, Congress Must Prevent Disruption to Nation’s Health System

Graham-Cassidy Shifts Costs to States, Consumers, and Employers while Neglecting Urgent Health Priorities

Immediate Congressional Action Imperative in Wake of CSR Cancellation

NCHC Commends Representatives Burgess and Green for Hearing on Payment Models

Modern Healthcare: Tax reform should mean improving the economy, but not at the expense of our healthcare system

Rother: Final Tax Bill would Undercut Affordability of Care and Coverage

The Hill: Disrupting CHIP will permit chronic conditions to grow in prevalence

Takeaways from a year of health care disruption

Lack of Health Center, Medicare Extensions Will Harm Outcomes, Increase Costs

Medical, Consumer, Insurer Groups Call for Immediate Individual Market Stabilization Package

NCHC Praises Launch of Congressional Health Care Innovation Caucus

Letter in support of HR 3692, the Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act

Joint letter to House & Senate Appropriations Subcommittee leadership regarding Fiscal Year 2019

NCHC Releases Major Health Care Affordability Report

Effort to Stabilize Market Means Little if Coverage, Affordability Disrupted – February 15, 2017

MISSION

To bring together key stakeholders in order to achieve an affordable, high-value health care system for patients and consumers, for employers and other payers, and for taxpayers.