Champions of affordable health care

We know Americans are struggling with the high costs of health care, with prices rising faster than wages.

Juliann and Josh were concerned that welcoming a new baby would mean a lot of medical bills, even with insurance coverage. Because their Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) company negotiated a fair price from the hospital and doctors, the couple had peace of mind that they could afford everything.

“It was so significantly less than we were expecting,” Juliann said. They were able to focus on what was truly important before, during and after their son was born. “Finally getting to be a mom is a gift you can’t describe. It’s the best thing in the world.”

Real change for families goes beyond negotiation and requires action at every level of the system.

Our roadmap to tackle the root causes of rising costs

BCBS companies are laser-focused on ensuring families can get the care they need at a price they can afford. Our affordability roadmap outlines commonsense solutions that could reduce health care costs by nearly $1 trillion. We're leading with solutions that:

• Curb excessive hospital markups, pushing back on unfair billing practices that force patients to pay more based on where they were treated.
• Expand patient choice and access to low-cost generics, by closing drug loopholes that keep prices high and limit competition.
• Pay providers for keeping patients healthy, rather than ordering more tests and treatments.

Since 80-85% of every premium dollar must go to medical care or prescription costs, these solutions would take on rising costs, helping families like Juliann and Josh, and all Americans.

The Blues are committed to affordable health care

Our efforts to take on rising costs go beyond advocating for policies to make the system fair and more efficient. Serving families in every ZIP code in America, we leverage our deep roots in every community to make health care work better for everyone.