When I completed my service in Congress in 2014, it was evident that much more work needed to be done to fix the broken U.S.  system. As one of the original authors of the Affordable Care Act, I have a deep understanding of the complexities involved, such as affordability and access for all individuals. Inspired by the May 2015 Call to Action from the American Health Policy, I became eager to collaborate with forward-thinking employers to catalyze a new approach to providing better health coverage to employees, retirees and their families.

Choosing between good health care or inexpensive health care is a false choice. Employers, the largest payers in the U.S health care system can improve health outcomes for its employees by focusing on high–quality care while significantly reducing the cost of care for their employees and their bottom line.

There is no doubt that health coverage and access to quality care are vitally important for the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of our population – and employees understand this reality. In fact, employees are willing to quit their jobs for access to better health care benefits. According to the ERBI Greenwald Workplace Wellness Study of 1,500 employees surveyed in 2023, 83% of employees rank health coverage as extremely or very important when considering job decisions. Of the benefits available to them, 70% of employees say health insurance is the most important benefit in their decision to stay in their job or choose a new job.