Consumers First Policy Agenda

In May 2019, Consumers First released its Call to Action which identified six underlying distortions in the health care system that need immediate policy action. Those six focus areas are:

• Distortions in Prescription Drug Prices
• Distortions Created by Payment Systems, Including Medicare
• Increased Health Care Industry Consolidation
• Inadequate Access to Data and Lack of Transparency
• Flawed Health Care Workforce Policy
• Federal Tax Policy for Nonprofit Health Care Institutions and Insurance Plans

Consumers First has developed an administrative and legislative policy agenda that crosscuts each of these six focus areas and its work will center on these areas in the short and intermediate terms. While this policy agenda is acutely focused on achieving policy change in the short and intermediate terms, Consumers First will periodically update its policy priorities to reflect the changing policy landscape and to leverage new opportunities in alignment with the long-term vision defined in each of the six focus areas.

Written by:

• Robert Berenson, Visiting Scholar and Senior Advisor, Families USA
• Shawn Gremminger, Senior Director of Federal Relations, Families USA
• Earl Hadley, Associate Director of Government Relations, American Federation of Teachers
• Frederick Isasi, Executive Director, Families USA
• Bill Kramer, Executive Director for Health Policy, Pacific Business Group on Health
• Bruce Lesley, Executive Director, First Focus
• R. Shawn Martin, Senior Vice President, Advocacy,  Practice Advancement and Policy, The American Academy of Family Physicians
• Shaun O’Brien, Assistance Director, Research and Collective Bargaining Services, The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
• Ilyse Schuman, Senior Vice President, American Benefits Council
• Sophia Tripoli, Director of Health Care innovation, Families USA