Studies show that patients enrolled in direct primary care practices have 59 percent fewer ER visits, spend 30 percent fewer days admitted to the hospital and are referred to specialists 62 percent less often.

As Dave Chase writes in “The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream,” ”Step one [in fixing the health care system] is to accept that you run a health care business. It's likely your second largest operating expense after payroll. Just ask your CFO. You'd probably prefer not to run this business, but it's there, whether you like it or not.”

Yet even if they acknowledge this truth, most CEOs, CFOs and COOs are too consumed with running their businesses to take step two; that is, to spend the time and emotional energy required to learn about the specific ways in which health care in America is broken. As a result, their health care strategy remains the same year after year. They continue to accept the increase (typically around 9 percent) in insurance premiums that their benefits broker negotiates for them and continue to transfer health care costs to their employees by raising deductibles.

Related: 4 reasons employer-sponsored health insurance won't go away