The American health care system has been tested in extraordinary ways in recent years. It has proven resilient and durable thanks to unprecedented collaboration between the private sector and the government to support the health of the American people. Now, even as we seek to move past the period of crisis, we must recognize that significant work remains to make health care accessible and affordable for all Americans. In fact, now is the exact time to put patients and their families first, and speed changes to the system to boost access and affordability.
Health insurance providers commend the leadership you have already shown to address this challenge. Your July 2021 Executive Order 14036 titled “Promoting Competition in the American Economy” laid out a commitment to a fair, open, and competitive marketplace. We strongly support efforts to promote greater competition across the American economy and in the health care sector specifically. In particular, the Order highlighted the consolidation of the health systems, which has led to higher health costs for Americans.
We agree that greater competition means more consumer choices and more patient control over their health care. In too many segments of our health care system, competition has been stymied by powerful health care providers and drug manufacturers gaming the rules to their advantage and inadequate laws and enforcement to protect competitive markets. This hurts all American families, and that is why we are writing to put forward meaningful solutions to promote greater competition, access, and affordability.