The healthcare affordability crisis we face calls on insurers, providers and employers alike to engage in “substantive conversations” that balance fair payment rates with real-world affordability constraints.

Lansing State Journal Op-ed Recap: BCBSM–Michigan Medicine Negotiations Highlight Opportunity to Rein in Rising Health Care Costs

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan offers many preventive care services at no cost to you. By taking advantage of these exams and screenings, you can catch health issues early, reduce your risk of chronic conditions and reduce your spending on health care. 

How Preventive Care Can Make Health Care More Affordable

A Detroit News opinion piece argues that the consolidation of corporate hospital systems is a major factor behind rising health care costs. As large systems acquire smaller providers, they gain pricing power that can lead to higher costs for patients.

Detroit News Op-ed Recap: Corporate Hospital Systems are Driving Up Health Care Costs in Michigan

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  <h1 class="main-heading">
    "Healthcare Is Personal. Affordability Matters." <br>
    <a href="https://cdn.sanity.io/files/eztzxh9q/production/b67efb93c5adcc73c005996c37867d4edf20f307.mp4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="author">
      - Tricia Keith, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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<h2 class="sub-heading">What is Blue Cross Doing To Make Your Healthcare More Affordable?</h2>

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<div class="stats-section2">
  <h2>Why Is My Health Insurance So Expensive?</h2>
  <div class="stats-container">
    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Surging Medical Costs</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/40b09759c286057c3e200bf131c4e742204164ad-438x360.png" alt="Medical Cost Increase">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>From 2005 to 2024, prices for medical care nearly tripled for a family of four, increasing about 41% faster than everyday prices, like groceries and gas.<sup>¹</sup></p>
      </div>
      <a href="https://www.bcbsm.mibluedaily.com/stories/affordability/why-is-my-health-insurance-so-expensive" class="cta-button" style="background-color: #0085CA; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 12px 8px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 600; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; margin-top: 15px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease;">Why is Healthcare So Expensive?</a>
    </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/8a653d4d815418a292d096508abc056f9c2202bd-438x360.png" alt="Skipped Pills Statistic">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>The median annual list price for a new, U.S. drug was over $370,000 in 2024, double the price from 2021.<sup>²</sup></p>
      </div>
      <a href="https://www.bcbsm.mibluedaily.com/stories/affordability/prescription-drug-prices-a-barrier-to-affordable-health-insurance" class="cta-button" style="background-color: #0085CA; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 12px 8px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 600; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; margin-top: 15px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease;">Why Are Prescription Drug Prices So High?</a>
    </div>

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

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Paying for Care</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/fc86b01c913a0035846e507ffde7e26f8a589f00-438x360.jpg" alt="Care Cost Graph">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan paid an average of $107 million per day for the care and benefits of members in 2025. That is $19 million more per day than 2023.</p>
      </div>
      <a href="https://www.bcbsm.mibluedaily.com/stories/affordability/the-old-way-of-paying-for-health-care-needs-to-change" class="cta-button" style="background-color: #0085CA; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 12px 8px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 600; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; margin-top: 15px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease;">Why is Healthcare Used So Much?</a>
    </div>

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

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Premium Pressures</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/6d954f78ef14c76f1a9d83b5194514de6a8fb664-1024x768.png" alt="Expensive System Image">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>In 2025, for every $1 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan collected in premiums, we paid $1.02 for our members' care.</p>
      </div>
      <a href="https://www.bcbsm.mibluedaily.com/stories/affordability/how-surging-health-care-use-affects-your-insurance" class="cta-button" style="background-color: #0085CA; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 12px 8px; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 600; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; margin-top: 15px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease;">Is Health Insurance the Problem?</a>
    </div>
  </div>
  <h2 class="second-heading">Why Does This Matter for Me?</h2>
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    Your health insurance costs are the end of the cost equation. They reside downstream. Upstream are the costs within the healthcare 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 systemwide 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>Here's What We Stand For</h2>
  <p class="stand-for-subtext">We will not rest while healthcare costs weigh more heavily on our members' budgets. We will continue to work with doctors and hospitals to improve quality and lower the cost of the healthcare, improve health outcomes and explore new types of drugs and treatments at lower costs.</p>
  <p class="italic-subtext">Click the cards to learn more.</p>
</div>

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<div class="affordability-closing">
    <h2 class="closing-heading">We act in service to our members and customers — always.</h2>
    <p class="closing-text">
        The cost of accessing healthcare services matters. It concerns us every day. Because healthcare 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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<div class="source-references">
  <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.milliman.com/en/insight/2025-milliman-medical-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2025 Milliman Medical Index </a>,
    <sup>²</sup> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prices-new-us-drugs-doubled-4-years-focus-rare-disease-grows-2025-05-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>
  </p>
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Affordability

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