Health Care Costs Reach a Breaking Point

With health care costs a major concern across the U.S., the American Heart Association released a presidential advisory warning that health care affordability in this country has reached crisis levels and outlining key principles to address the problem.

Total health care spending nationwide is approaching $5 trillion annually and is projected to consume 20% of the nation’s gross domestic product within the next decade, according to the advisory, placing unsustainable pressure on patients, families and the health care system. The American Heart Association projects that health care costs related to cardiovascular disease will nearly quadruple by 2050.

The reasons for rising health care costs are complex and connected to each other, including: high prices for treatments, complex administration, not enough investment in prevention and public health, cost shifting to patients and changing demographics.

The Heart Association outlines five core principles to guide policymakers and stakeholders toward a more affordable and sustainable health care system, including:

1. Access to high-quality care without financial hardship.
2. Minimal or no cost-sharing for high-value, cost-effective care, including preventive services.
3. Shared accountability across the health care ecosystem for advancing a more efficient, transparent and cost-conscious health care system.
4. Strategic investments in the health care workforce, infrastructure and data.
5. Strengthen the public health infrastructure and address health inequities.

The Heart Association encourages policymakers, health care leaders and other decision makers to use this advisory as a roadmap to address the nation’s health care affordability crisis. The Heart Association emphasizes that lowering costs for evidence-based, cost-effective care, prioritizing prevention and investing strategically in the health care workforce are necessary to address rising costs, which is essential to improving health outcomes and ensuring a more sustainable health care system for future generations.

Full text of the presidential advisory is available here: Health Care Affordability in the United States, From Crisis to Action: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association | Circulation