Consumers First

Consumers First is a new alliance that brings together powerful interests from consumers, children, employers, labor unions, and primary care providers working to change the fundamental economic incentives and design of the health care system. Our work is to realign the incentives and design of health care so that the system truly delivers the health and high quality care that all families across our nation deserve.

Consumers First has issued A Call to Action to consumer health care organizations, employers, labor unions, health care professionals, and allies across the nation to join in efforts to uproot the fundamental economic distortions in the nation’s health care payment and delivery system to ensure that the best health and health care are affordable and accessible for every person across the country.

Consumers First has released its administrative and legislative policy agenda that crosscuts each of the six focus areas outlined in the Call to Action.The policy agenda is 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 its six focus areas:

• 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

Together, we will work to ensure that the nation’s health care system finally fulfills its obligation to the people it serves by providing affordable, high-quality, cost-effective care to everyone.

• Read Consumer’s First statement on site-neutral payments (8/27/20)
• Listen to Consumers First’s inaugural telebriefing here (5/14/2019).
• Read the News Release on Consumers First Launch (5/14/2019).
• Read the News Release on the Consumer’s First Policy Agenda. (7/31/19).

The steering committee of Consumers First is made up of leading consumer advocacy, employer, labor, and provider organizations:

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Benefits Council
• American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
• American Federation of Teachers
• Families USA
• First Focus
• Pacific Business Group on Health