Having limited health literacy can negatively impact your health. Taking time to understand the basics of your health care plan, as well as tools and resources available to you, can put you on the right track to becoming more health literate.

5 Ways to Boost Your Health Literacy

Generic medications are required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be the same dosage, effectiveness, strength, quality, stability, safety and type as brand-name medications. The benefits and risks are also the same.

Are Generic Medications Effective?

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Corewell Health today announced a partnership that strives to improve the quality and affordability of patient care through multiple health outcomes-based initiatives. 

Happy doctor talking to senior male patient

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Corewell Health Partner to Improve Health Care Quality, Affordability for Michigan Patients

Learn about what’s driving health care costs, how it’s impacting families and employers and why shared responsibility is key to meaningful progress. 

A Shared Responsibility for Affordability

Leaders from across Michigan came together at the Mackinac Policy Conference to explore how upstream investments — in behavioral health, nutrition and chronic disease prevention — can lower costs and create healthier communities.

Community First-Partnering for Upstream Affordability

The conversation in this podcast offers an insightful look at what happens when uninsured individuals turn to emergency rooms for care — and how that cost ends up affecting everyone. 

Uncompensated Care and the Safety Net

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    “Health Care is Personal. Let's Make it Work for Everyone.” <br>
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      - Tricia Keith, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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  <p class="subtext">
    People can’t have access to quality medical care without affordable health insurance. 
    Today, increasing health insurance costs are becoming more of a strain on the budgets 
    of the businesses and people we serve. We want to help you understand why this is 
    happening and what can be done. This site will be updated with insight about this 
    important issue that we, at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, are committed to 
    addressing — affordability.
  </p>
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    <h2>How Can We Make Health Care More Affordable?</h2>
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<div class="stats-section2">
  <h2>The Cost Equation</h2>
  <div class="stats-container">
    
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      <h3 class="card-title">Surging Medical Costs</h3>
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        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/40b09759c286057c3e200bf131c4e742204164ad-438x360.png" alt="Medical Cost Increase">
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        <p>From 2000 to 2024, prices for medical care increased 40% faster than everyday prices, like groceries and gas.<sup>¹</sup></p>
      </div>
    </div>

    
    <div class="symbol">+</div>

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Skyrocketing Drug Prices</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/1cc0e54e96f6bf4c870cec2a64904560a72cece8-438x360.png" alt="Skipped Pills Statistic">
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        <p>In 2023, pharmaceutical companies priced new U.S. drugs 35% higher than 2022.<sup>²</sup></p>
      </div>
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    <div class="symbol">+</div>

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Paying for Care</h3>
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        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/fc86b01c913a0035846e507ffde7e26f8a589f00-438x360.jpg" alt="Care Cost Graph">
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        <p>Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan paid an average of $100 million per day for the care and benefits of members in 2024. That is $12 million more per day than 2023.</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    
    <div class="symbol">=</div>

    
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      <h3 class="card-title">Premium Pressures</h3>
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        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/9a55cdc30f2f41252817ae9060370c9ef3d11085-438x360.png" alt="Expensive System Image">
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        <p>In 2024, for every $1 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan collected in premiums, we paid $1.04 for our members' care.</p>
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  </div>

  <p class="subtext">
    Your health insurance costs are the end of the cost equation. They reside downstream. Upstream are the costs within the health care system itself. The costs of medical care charged by hospitals and doctors. The price of prescription drugs. The cost of administration and continually evolving technology. These upstream costs flow downstream into your health insurance premium. This is why we are calling for system-wide solutions. We all serve you — and we owe it to you to work together to solve problems that are driving your health insurance premiums higher.
  </p>
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    <h2 class="closing-heading">We act in service to our members and customers — always.</h2>
    <p class="closing-text">
        The cost of accessing health care services matters. It concerns us every day. Because health care is personal to every single member we serve, it must be affordable. This is why we are calling for system-wide solutions. We all serve you — and we owe it to you to work together to solve problems that are driving your health insurance premiums higher.
    </p>
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  <p class="bcbsm-link">
    <a href="https://www.bcbsm.com/individuals/help/buying-insurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bcbsm.com</a>
  </p>
  <p class="source-label">Sources</p>
  <p class="source-links">
    <sup>¹</sup> <a href="https://www.bcbs.com/news-and-insights/white-paper/affordability-solutions-white-paper" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blue Cross and Blue Shield</a>,
    <sup>²</sup> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prices-new-us-drugs-rose-35-2023-more-than-previous-year-2024-02-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>
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Affordability

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Affordability Matters: A Special Edition Podcast Series