Consumers First 2021 Legislative Agenda: Policy Solutions to Drive Value into the U.S. Health Care System in the 117th Congress

Authored by: Sophia Tripoli, Director of Health Care Innovation, Families USA; Jen Taylor, Senior Director of Federal Relations, Families USA; Shaun O’Brien, Assistant Director, Research and Collective Bargaining Services, AFSCME; Kelly Trautner, Director, AFT Nurses and Health Professionals, American Federation of Teachers; Averi Pakulis, Vice President, Early Childhood and Public Health Policy, First Focus on Children; Erica Cischke, Senior Manager, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, American Academy of Family Physicians; Shawn Gremminger, Director, Health Policy, Pacific Business Group on Health; Ilyse Schuman, Senior Vice President, Health Policy, American Benefits Council.

The 117th U.S. Congress presents an important opportunity to address inefficiencies, inequities, and market failures in the U.S. health care system that drive high-cost and low-quality care. Each of these underlying problems was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers First urges Congress to enact the following key policy reforms that will drive value into the U.S. health care system in 2021 and beyond. These policy reforms fall into five key areas:

• Drive down costs for consumers, working people, and employers by addressing consolidated health care markets.
• Lower prescription drug costs for our nation’s families.
• Improve price and quality transparency in the health care system.
• Establish national data-sharing and interoperability standards to reduce waste and improve health care quality.
• Develop and implement a national health workforce strategy.