More Healthcare Reforms Needed to Expand Access, Decrease Cost
Blues Perspectives
| 2 min read
Healthcare should be available to everyone. We’ve made great progress in expanding access to care in Michigan as a result of the reforms brought by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: the number of uninsured individuals in Michigan has been cut in half over the past decade. And yet we know there is still more work to be done to reform health care and rein in costs. In addition to our work at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to innovate and collaborate to reduce costs, improve quality and break down barriers to access, healthcare reforms need to continue at the federal level. We stand with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in advocating for expanding and enhancing the Affordable Care Act so that 9.2 million more Americans can gain access to health insurance, and marketplace premiums could be reduced by 19%. Policy solutions that address the high costs of prescription drug prices, increase access to physical and behavioral health care, or remove existing disparities in race-based health outcomes will help improve the system for all. It will take continued efforts by policy makers, businesses, hospitals, providers, patients and health insurers like Blue Cross to work towards our shared goals of ensuring access to care for everyone. Together, it is possible to create a better, more inclusive healthcare system. More from MIBluesPerspectives.com:
- Blue Cross Helps Customers and Members Through Pandemic
- 10 Drugs with Big Price Increases—and Ways Blue Cross is Helping Members
- By the Numbers: How Health Insurance Pays Off in the Long Run
Photo credit: FatCamera
