Message to Congress: Fix Health Care Costs

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance to Fight for Health Care, a broad-based coalition comprised of businesses, patient advocates, employer organizations, unions, health care companies, consumer groups, and other stakeholders that support employer-provided health coverage, today released a Morning Consult National Tracking Poll on health care coverage issues.

"We appreciate all of the actions Congress has taken to help make health care more affordable for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic," said James A. Klein, president of the American Benefits Council. "As this public health emergency lingers on, voters' message to Congress is clear: address high health care costs. With prices soaring everywhere, we urge Congress to take up bipartisan, common-sense measures to drive down health care costs." 

The Morning Consult National Tracking Poll sponsored by the Alliance and conducted between January 14-16, 2022, finds insured Americans are satisfied with their employer-provided coverage but are concerned about high costs. The poll finds:

1. Insured adults who have employer-provided health care coverage are more likely to rate their care positively than those with Marketplace coverage. Those with employer-provided health coverage rate their care 19% more positively than those with coverage through the marketplace. Moreover, those with employer coverage are also 31% more likely to rate their care more positively in comparison to the health care system overall. Furthermore, a majority of those who receive their care through the marketplace report they would be likely to switch to an employer-provided plan if they had the opportunity.
2. Most insured adults are concerned with the cost of health care, prescription drugs, and the ability to pay for a major health event. To this end, when asked what should be made the single most important priority when it comes to health care reform, a majority of insured adults agreed that it should be reducing health care costs.
3. Insured adults believe that the U.S. health care system is struggling with respect to matters of cost. Insured adults find the U.S. health care system inspires innovation, provides a choice in care, and offers high quality treatment but finds that it is underperforming areas such as affordability and transparency.
4. Nearly two-thirds of insured adults feel the U.S. should take "modest" action to fix and improve the health care system rather than large scale changes. A majority of Democrats, independents, and Republicans all agree that the U.S. should take "modest" action.
5. Three quarters of insured adults support affordable telehealth. A majority of Democrats, independents, and Republicans all agree that Congress should extend a law that provides flexibility for employers to offer telehealth visits to employees without having to pay their deductible. In addition, more than half of insured adults would seek virtual/online mental health care if it were free.
6. Same service—same price: 72% of insured adults feel the price of health care services should be the same no matter where it is received and 89% of insured adults, across key demographics, feel it is important for regulators to address how patients are charged when receiving a prescription through a hospital clinic rather than a doctor's office.

Link to polling deck

Link to The Alliance to Fight for Health Care's policy priorities that will help reduce premiums and help consumers afford care.

The Alliance to Fight for Health Care is a broad-based coalition comprised of businesses, patient advocates, employer organizations, unions, health care companies, consumer groups and other stakeholders that support employer-provided health coverage. Together, we are working to ensure that employer-provided coverage remains an available and affordable option for working Americans and their families. The coalition, previously working as the Alliance to Fight the 40, led the successful effort to repeal the so-called 40% "Cadillac Tax" on health care coverage.

Contact: Tara Bradshaw

SOURCE Alliance to Fight for Health Care