United Solutions for Care
Goal One: Affordability
We recognize that cost is people’s primary source of anxiety when it comes to health care and often times prevents people from getting the care they need.
This is the top challenge people want addressed.
Why Affordability is a Priority
When Americans are paying the highest health care prices in the world, it’s not surprising that when asked to choose which aspect of the U.S. health care system most needs improvement, affordability was chosen by a majority of voters (51%) and more than twice as much as the next closest option (USofCare poll).
Health care has become unaffordable for both families and state/federal governments. Cost is the overwhelming reason that 42% of voters have foregone health insurance in the past and 41% of those under 30 have opted not to seek medical treatment in the last year (USofCare poll)
Our Approach
USofCare is working to make sure that people across the country have certainty they can afford their health care. People want to know that they can afford the care they receive and that they won’t have to choose between their health and potential bankruptcy.
Our objective is to identify and push for solutions at the state and federal levels that will bring down the cost of care for people and their families.
Our current initiatives include:
- Driving a multi-state approach to expanding coverage through public option.
- Conducting deep listening and public opinion research to understand people’s experiences and the targeted solutions that will benefit their bottom line.
- Leading a multi-state learning collaborative to support states in developing and utilizing new ways of measuring health care affordability.
- Identify lasting solutions and provide policymakers with evidence to make informed decisions on key levers to tackle cost issues.
Policy Principles
Informed by listening to thousands of people across the country, USofCare’s United Solutions for Care agenda represents a set of four goals and twelve targeted and achievable solutions to help us build a fairer health care system. The policy principles outlined below respond to one of those twelve solutions: reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs.
Affordability Updates
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April 24, 2024Affordability, News & Updates, State Efforts
New York’s Section 1332 Innovation Waiver Explainer
Updated October 2, 2024 In March 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved New York’s Section 1332 Innovation Waiver request to expand the state’s existing Basic Health Plan, known as the Essential Plan, to people with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL). The five-year waiver…
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March 20, 2024Affordability, News & Updates, State Efforts
New Resource: Get the Facts on Hospital Cost Shifting
As health care prices continue to climb, a larger-than-ever financial burden is placed on patients, with nearly one in four avoiding or delaying care because of costs, and about half of the country reporting difficulty affording health care. In addition, this unfair burden is also falling on employers and state…
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March 8, 2024Affordability, Federal Efforts, News & Updates
United States of Care Submits Statement to US Senate Budget Committee on Lowering Health Care Costs & Improving Health Outcomes
On March 7, United States of Care (USofCare) submitted a statement for the record to the United States Senate Committee on the Budget. Our statement responds to the Committee’s March 6 hearing entitled “How Primary Care Improves Health Care Efficiency.” In our statement, USofCare commends the Committee’s focus on lowering…
Explore Our Other Priorities
We prioritize improvements informed by our desired outcomes that will build the health care system people want.
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