2021

What Children and Families Need From the 117th Congress: Policy Recommendations to Improve their Health and Well-Being

In honor of Mother’s Day, we would like to reshare our 117th Congress Policy Recommendations for Children and Families. As Congress and the Biden Administration consider how best to advance criti...

Advocates Call to Action: Honor Moms this Mother’s Day by Urging Congress to Address the Maternal Health Crisis

As our nation emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, there is no denying that the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the health and economic landscape of the United States. While COVID-19 has affecte...

California Takes Steps to Move Its Health Care System Toward Health Equity and Social Justice

Over the last two years, consumer advocates, community leaders, insurers, providers, community-based organizations, and other key stakeholders in California developed specific policy recommendations t...

Nearly 200 Organizations Send Core Values to Prioritize in Next Relief Package to the Administration and Congressional Leadership

In a letter co-led by American Federations of Teachers, Community Catalyst, Families USA, National Partnership for Women & Families, and Protect Our Care, nearly 200 organizations urge the Biden A...

The Improving Health Insurance Affordability Act Puts Affordable Health Care within Reach for Millions of Struggling Families

S. 499, the Improving Health Insurance Affordability Act of 2021 sponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), takes two significant steps to lower American health care costs: It ensures families c...

Appendix 1- The Catastrophic Cost of Uninsurance, By County: COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Closely Tied to America’s Health Coverage Gaps

In this appendix, we estimate the relationship between health insurance gaps and COVID-19 infections and deaths through February 1, 2021, assuming that associations between county population character...

To Advance Health Equity, Federal Policy Makers Should Build On Lessons From State Medicaid Experiments

NOTE: This blog was originally published in Health Affairs on April 14th, 2021. Both the Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress have a possible—and likely time-limited—political opp...

Free COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments are Here: Why America’s Families Keep Paying

The COVID-19 pandemic provides a stark reminder that if any of us are sick, we are all at risk. Because we are all in this together, Americans have taken on the financial risk of investing tens of bil...

Consumers First 2021 Administrative Agenda: Policy Solutions to Strengthen the Infrastructure of U.S. Health Care Payment and Delivery

This publication was co-authored by Erica Cischke; American Academy of Family Physicians; Shawn Gremminger, Purchaser Business Group on Health; Jeremy Hoffman, American Federation of Teacher; Shaun O'...

Misalignment between Premiums and Coverage Generosity Imposes Heavy Cost Burdens on Consumers in Health Insurance Exchanges

This report finds that consumer costs in the individual market were nearly $6 billion too high in 2020 because premiums in health insurance exchanges were not set consistently with Affordable Care Act...