National Coalition Unveils New Policy Agenda to Lower Health Costs

On February 12, Families USA announced in a press release that Consumers First, a national alliance representing families, working people, employers, and primary care clinicians, released its new legislative agenda with solutions that seek to lower healthcare costs and improve health outcomes in the U.S.  

Healthcare costs have been rising faster than inflation and outpacing workers’ wages, making it more difficult for families to access and afford healthcare, Consumers First stated in its agenda.

The agenda is for consideration for the 119th Congress to move to a more sustainable health system to ensure all Americans have access to quality and affordable care.

The key policy reforms in the agenda are:

• Drive down costs and improve quality by addressing consolidated healthcare markets and removing distortions created by ineffective payment systems.
• Lower prescription drug costs.
• Increase price and quality transparency to create a more efficient, fair, and equitable healthcare system.
• Establish national data-sharing and interoperability standards to reduce waste and improve healthcare quality.
• Develop and implement a national health workforce strategy to address shortages and improve care delivery.

“It’s imperative that Congress and the new administration focus on advancing common-sense policies that meet our shared goal of improving the health of patients, including addressing consolidation, bolstering the primary care workforce, alleviating administrative burden for physicians, and updating Medicare physician payment to improve access to care,” Shawn Martin, EVP, and CEO of American Academy of Family Physicians, said in a statement.

“We urge Congress to embrace and enact the common-sense, bipartisan solutions outlined in this policy agenda, which will help drive healthcare value for working families,” said Ilyse Schuman, the American Benefits Council’s SVP, health and paid leave policy, in a statement.