With more than 181 million people getting their health care coverage through an employer, and employers forking over more than $725 billion to provide group health coverage, employers certainly have a major financial stake in the question of how costly and how good that coverage is.

To that end, the American Benefits Council, which represents the perspective of large employer health plan sponsors, is joining the Consumers First health alliance, which says in its summary call to action that it “brings together powerful interests from consumers, children, employers, labor unions and primary care providers working to change the fundamental economic incentives and design of the health care system.”

The goal of the alliance is to “realign the incentives and design of health care so that the system truly delivers the health and high quality care that all families across our nation deserve,” says the group, and it calls out “the 'significant economic distortions in the health care payment and delivery system' that drive high costs and low-quality care.”

Consumers First has identified six “major distortions” as targets for immediate action:

High and rising health care prices
Distortions created by provider payment systems, including Medicare
Increased health care industry consolidation
Federal tax policy for nonprofit health care institutions and insurance plans
Flawed workforce policy
Inadequate access to data and lack of transparency

Among the issues in ABC's crosshairs are “surprise” medical billing and repeal of the 40 percent so-called Cadillac tax on employer plans. “These issues have stymied policymakers and stakeholders for decades but the status quo is no longer sustainable,” says Ilyse Schuman, senior vice president, health policy, for the American Benefits Council. “Together we must and will find a way to align the economic incentives of the health care system with affordable, high-quality health care for all of America's families.”

Among the other groups in Consumers First are Families USA, the American Academy of Family Physicians, AFSCME, First Focus and other organized labor groups.

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Health alliance to advocate on consumers' behalf

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