Cost-Containment

Some families that need long-term care have planned for that. Others have not.

Officials at the credit ratings company said health insurers are facing low margins across most market segments, and companies likely will focus on redesigning medical plans, reducing benefits, and exiting less profitable markets and geographies this year.

HealthEquity CEO Scott Cutler told analysts the hunt for affordability offset a soft U.S. labor market.

Consumers identify health care at the center of the affordability crisis, above food, rent and utilities. Affordability remains a concern for people with various types of insurance, from individual market plans to employer-sponsored insurance.

Employers need a durable framework for evaluating new medical innovations, anchored by advanced primary care and direct care contracting.

Three-quarters of respondents say business costs are higher than a year ago, with more than one-third describing the increase as "much higher."