Healthcare Leaders Say Affordability Crisis Requires Shared Accountability Across the Industry
A new Vitalic Health survey finds broad concern over the financial sustainability of U.S. healthcare, with most respondents warning the system is approaching an existential tipping point
Top healthcare leaders overwhelmingly believe the U.S. healthcare system is financially unsustainable and that no single stakeholder can solve the affordability crisis alone, according to a new Vitalic Health survey released June 8.
Vitalic Health, powered by the Healthcare Financial Management Association, said its invitation-only survey included 30 senior leaders from health systems, health plans, healthcare technology companies, consumer advocacy organizations, consultancies and the capital markets.
The findings point to broad agreement that healthcare affordability has become a systemwide problem requiring shared responsibility across payers, providers, employers, policymakers and technology partners.
Ninety percent of survey respondents said the current U.S. healthcare system is not financially sustainable, while 77% said healthcare will reach an existential tipping point within three years. One-third of respondents said no single stakeholder is positioned to lead affordability efforts alone, and 27% identified federal policy intervention as the most likely catalyst for change.
“Our survey findings reinforce what Americans are already feeling every day — healthcare affordability has become one of the defining challenges facing our nation,” said HFMA President and CEO C. Ann Jordan. “What’s striking is that experts across healthcare agree the system must change, but there’s also recognition that no one can solve this alone. The path forward depends on shared accountability and purposeful collaboration.”
Respondents identified misaligned incentives across payers, providers and employers as the leading driver of rising healthcare costs. Two-thirds said shared accountability for the total cost of care would have the greatest impact on advancing affordability.
The survey also found cautious optimism around the potential role of artificial intelligence. Sixty percent of healthcare leaders said AI has the potential to reduce costs rather than simply shift or add costs elsewhere in the system.
The findings build on Vitalic Health’s broader effort to advance healthcare affordability, financial sustainability and better health outcomes by convening stakeholders around practical solutions. Earlier this year, Vitalic Health released its U.S. Healthcare Vitals Tracker, which measured affordability, sustainability and health outcomes across the healthcare system and found continued pressure on the system despite rising national healthcare spending.
“It’s past time to address the healthcare affordability crisis,” Jordan said. “Healthcare leaders are coming around to the urgency, and there is growing momentum for finding practical, collaborative solutions that improve affordability while strengthening the long-term sustainability of healthcare.”
More information about Vitalic Health and the full report is available from HFMA
