Since the House passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act before the holidays, it is our time to put pressure on the Senate to ensure more accountability and affordability for patients and send the bill to President Biden. Join us on Thursday, January 11th, 2024 from 2pm to 5pm EST for Families USA's "Lower Cost, More Transparency" Digital Day of Action. Use the toolkit below to let your membe... read more.
Too often, American families are forced to make tough choices between necessary health care and their basic necessities, jeopardizing their well-being and risking financial ruin to care for themselves or loved ones. Similarly, employers are battling escalating health care costs that limit their ability to grow and provide critical benefits to their workers. Today, we sent a letter to the House urg... read more.
Americans are struggling with an affordability crisis and rising health care costs, yet our health care system is full of wasteful spending that does not improve people’s health. One prime example of this is when big health care corporations make more money by driving patients to get care at outpatient departments, where the cost of care is significantly higher than at physician offices for the ... read more.
People should know the price of health care services at a hospital or health care facility before they receive care, whether it is an X-ray, an MRI or a surgery. Yet, health care is one of the only sectors in the US economy where consumers and purchasers cannot obtain the actual prices of a service before they undergo a procedure or receive care. For the two-thirds of Americans who receive health ... read more.
By Frederick Isasi, Sophia Tripoli, Hazel Law Health care providers should be reimbursed at a level that supports the most efficient, highest quality care irrespective of the location in which it is provided – this is a foundational principle in the efficient allocation of resources and shifting to a value-based health care system. However, underlying payment differentials are at odds with en... read more.
By Sophia Tripoli, Adam Axler Every person should have the right to know what a health care procedure costs at different hospitals or health care facilities, whether it is an X-ray, an MRI, or a surgery, yet that is not how it works in the U.S. health care system. By keeping health care prices hidden from policymakers, researchers, and purchasers including consumers, hospitals and other provide... read more.
By Staci Lofton, Frederick Isasi The following report details the potential of payment reform to transform our health care system into one that facilitates health equity and promotes racial justice by comprehensively providing disenfranchised individuals with tailored services and resources necessary for health. The report also outlines key policy solutions necessary for creating value-based pa... read more.
By Sophia Tripoli, Frederick Isasi, Eliot Fishman This is the second resource in Families USA’s People First Care Initiative. The major strategy in hospitals’ current business model is to generate profit by buying up other hospitals and doctor’s offices to become large corporate health care systems that maximize service volumes and increase health care prices. The financial incentives ... read more.
By Sophia Tripoli, Frederick Isasi, Eliot Fishman This is the first resource in Families USA’s People First Care initiative. There are two principal financial drivers of unaffordable, inequitable health care and poor health for the American people: Firstly, healthcare industry consolidation has led to uncontrolled price hikes that families are left to bear. High health care prices are... read more.
By Sophia Tripoli, Frederick Isasi, Jen Taylor, Jane Sheehan The cost of health care in the U.S. has been rising at an unsustainable rate for far too long. Nearly half of all Americans have had to forgo medical care due to cost, and a third of them have indicated that the cost of medical care interferes with their ability to secure basic needs like food and housing. It is time for our nation... read more.
This fall, Congress is considering bipartisan solutions to improve health care price transparency and protect families from being charged more for the same service. Explore the latest resources from our campaign and learn more about federal proposals on our resources page.
Questions? Have a Story to Share? Contact us at SameServiceSamePrice@familiesusa.org
