Why Affordability Must Be at the Center of Health Care
Tricia Keith
| 2 min read
Tricia Keith is President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Health care is a personal — and financial — issue for many Michiganians. We must make it more affordable than it is today.
For families, affordability determines whether they can schedule needed care. For business owners, it affects the kind of health insurance they can provide. For individuals, it can influence decisions as personal as starting a family or choosing when to retire.
At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we believe health care should be there when people need it—and at a price they can afford.
There are factors within our health care system that impact the price of medical care, drugs and the cost of health insurance. Some of these factors influencing affordability are moving in the wrong direction – jeopardizing access to care and making health insurance unaffordable.
I am determined for Blue Cross to do our part to change that.
People depend on companies like ours to step up and partner, innovate, and deliver solutions. It’s clear to me there’s a lot more to do in these areas — and real, lasting change demands every part of the health care system gets on board.
At Blue Cross, we stand behind our members and customers—putting their needs at the center of everything we do. Every decision we make is guided by the impact it will have on the people and businesses who count on us.
We stand for innovation, using data, technology and new ideas to make care more effective, easier to navigate, and more affordable over time.
We stand for partnering across the health care system—collaborating with physicians, hospitals, and community organizations to improve quality, reduce costs, and drive better outcomes.
We stand for a well-regulated system that balances stability with flexibility—one that holds every stakeholder accountable for doing their part to improve affordability and access.
And above all, we stand for affordability—because health care should never be out of reach for the people who need it.
To show how we’re turning these commitments into action, we’ve launched mibluedaily.com/affordability. This platform will be updated regularly with the latest on what we’re doing, how it’s working, and what’s next. It reflects our belief that affordability requires transparency, accountability—and results.
We stand for affordability. And we’ll keep working to deliver it—because our members deserve a health care system that works better for them at a price that’s affordable.
