Consumers for Quality Care

08/22/2026

Cuts to federal healthcare funding leave behind the patients who need care the most. In Michigan alone, over 90,000 people have lost Medicaid coverage and 130,000 dropped ACA coverage. This is not accessible healthcare; this is an affordability crisis.
https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2026-08-17/michigan-advocates-speak-out-against-devastating-federal-healthcare-funding-cuts

08/21/2026

Facility fees create an environment where prices change according to where you received care, not what kind of care you received. Good thing Vermont is cracking down on this. More states should follow their example.

So-called hospital facility fees, which can add hundreds of dollars to bills after routine doctor visits at hospital-owned clinics.

08/20/2026

Prior authorization delays access to care, not by accident but by design. And while there’s nothing wrong with using new tech to make prior authorization less harmful, that’s not the ultimate goal. The goal is to eliminate prior authorization, to stop insurance companies from second-guessing our doctors and delaying or denying care for purely financial reasons. That is the goal, and we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted by small, procedural improvements that are welcome but don’t address the root of the problem. https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366649207/Health-systems-test-real-time-prior-auths-through-Epic

08/19/2026

For too long, the U.S. has had one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, with stark racial disparities.

Thanks to the Momnibus Act, just reintroduced in the Senate, targeted, high-impact efforts to protect mothers and the perinatal workers who work with them will be put in place across the country. From grant programs for maternity workers to investments into social determinants of health, this is a much-needed advancement towards protecting American mothers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues to reintroduce the...

08/18/2026

We responded to the Senate Committee on Finance’s RFI on prescription drug pricing. Our message to the committee: Prioritize increasing transparency, lowering out-of-pocket costs, and holding health insurance companies accountable for covering our care.

Washington, D.C. — Today, Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) submitted formal comments to the Senate Committee on Finance in response to its Request for

08/17/2026

Hospital monopolies raise costs and lower quality. In North Carolina, one hospital monopoly charged as much as $24,000 more for knee surgery, compared to other hospitals in the state. On top of this, the same hospital system has struggled with harmful practices and poor care.
https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/hospital-mergers-monopolies-drive-healthcare-costs-asheville-north-carolina/

08/14/2026

The price of care shouldn’t change based on where you go to get treated. Congress needs to pass site-neutral legislation and prevent hospitals from buying out local practices and price-gouging patients in need.
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/congress-finally-ready-stop-subsidizing-hospital-consolidation-john-umbehr/827454/

08/12/2026

Physicians spend the equivalent of 99,487 full-time doctors on prior authorization paperwork instead of patient care. That costs the system $32.6 billion annually. Insurers profit when they deny pre-approved claims. Now they're automating denials with AI. Seventy-one percent of Americans, including majorities of both parties, support banning prior authorization entirely. Congress should listen to voters instead of the insurance industry.
https://shorturl.at/fZ0B1

08/11/2026

5 states are leading PBM reform: Arkansas banned PBMs from owning pharmacies, California capped insulin at $35 with rebates to patients, Iowa boosted transparency, Texas banned steering. With 13 more states targeting vertical integration, the PBM industry's stranglehold on drug pricing is finally facing real opposition.

All 50 states have enacted some sort of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) legislation, but a handful are setting the pace in terms of new laws targeting ownership restrictions, transparency requirements, and compensation models.

08/10/2026

Arizona has now erased $1 billion in medical debt for residents making under 400% of the federal poverty level. No application or paperwork required. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t touch the root of the problem: hospitals’ leaving patients with unaffordable medical bills.
https://hoodline.com/2026/08/arizona-wipes-out-1-billion-in-medical-debt-letters-hitting-mailboxes-this-week/