As new research, experience and practice add to our knowledgebase, we change the standard of care or the way care is delivered.

Reducing Tests That Don’t Add Value to Health Care

Reporting from The Detroit News explains that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan paid nearly $100 million a day last year for members’ medical and pharmacy costs, spending $12 million more per day than the year prior.

Doctor reviews test results with concerned father

The Detroit News Reports on BCBSM Affordability Efforts

Having limited health literacy can negatively impact your health. Taking time to understand the basics of your health care plan, as well as tools and resources available to you, can put you on the right track to becoming more health literate.

5 Things You Can Learn More About to Make Better Health Decisions

Learn about what’s driving health care costs, how it’s impacting families and employers and why shared responsibility is key to meaningful progress. 

A Shared Responsibility for Affordability

Leaders from across Michigan came together at the Mackinac Policy Conference to explore how upstream investments — in behavioral health, nutrition and chronic disease prevention — can lower costs and create healthier communities.

Community First-Partnering for Upstream Affordability

The conversation in this podcast offers an insightful look at what happens when uninsured individuals turn to emergency rooms for care — and how that cost ends up affecting everyone. 

Uncompensated Care and the Safety Net

<div class="stats-section no-bottom-spacing">
  <h1 class="main-heading">
    “Health Care is Personal. Let's Make it Work for Everyone.” <br>
    <span class="author">
      - Tricia Keith, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
    </span>
  </h1>
</div>

<style>
/* Import Google Font */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;600&display=swap');

.stats-section {
  max-width: 1200px;
  margin: 40px auto;
  text-align: center;
  font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
}

.no-bottom-spacing {
  margin-bottom: 0 !important;   /* no extra margin below block */
  padding-bottom: 0 !important; /* no extra padding below block */
}

.author {
  font-size: 0.5em;
  font-weight: 600;
  color: #444;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 8px;
  margin: 15px;
}

.main-heading {
  font-size: 32px;
  font-weight: 700;
  color: #222;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
  text-align: center;
  position: relative;
  padding-bottom: 15px; /* keep underline spacing */
}

/* Underline Effect */
.main-heading::after {
  content: "";
  display: block;
  width: 80px;
  height: 4px;
  background: #007bff;
  margin: 10px auto 0;
  border-radius: 2px;
}
</style>


<div class="stats-section no-top-spacing">
  <p class="subtext">
    People can’t have access to quality medical care without affordable health insurance. 
    Today, increasing health insurance costs are becoming more of a strain on the budgets 
    of the businesses and people we serve. We want to help you understand why this is 
    happening and what can be done. This site will be updated with insight about this 
    important issue that we, at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, are committed to 
    addressing — affordability.
  </p>
</div>

<style>
/* Import Google Font */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;600&display=swap');

.stats-section {
  max-width: 1200px;
  margin: 40px auto;
  text-align: center;
  font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
}

.no-top-spacing {
  margin-top: 0 !important;   /* no extra margin above block */
  padding-top: 0 !important; /* no extra padding above block */
}

.subtext {
  font-size: 18px;
  max-width: 950px;
  margin: 0 auto 30px;
  line-height: 1.6;
  text-align: center;
}
</style>


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>H2 Heading</title>
  <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
  <style>
    body {
      font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
      background-color: #fff;
      color: #222;
      margin: 0;
      padding: 0;
    }

    .heading-wrapper {
      max-width: 100%;
      margin: 40px auto;
      text-align: center;
      padding: 0 16px;
      box-sizing: border-box;
    }

    .heading-wrapper h2 {
      font-size: 32px;
      font-weight: 600;
      color: #222;
      margin-bottom: 30px;
      line-height: 1.3;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>

  <div class="heading-wrapper">
    <h2>How Can We Make Health Care More Affordable?</h2>
  </div>

</body>
</html>

<div class="stats-section2">
  <h2>The Cost Equation</h2>
  <div class="stats-container">
    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Surging Medical Costs</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/40b09759c286057c3e200bf131c4e742204164ad-438x360.png" alt="Medical Cost Increase">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>From 2000 to 2024, prices for medical care increased 40% faster than everyday prices, like groceries and gas.<sup>¹</sup></p>
      </div>
    </div>

    
    <div class="symbol">+</div>

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Skyrocketing Drug Prices</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/1cc0e54e96f6bf4c870cec2a64904560a72cece8-438x360.png" alt="Skipped Pills Statistic">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>In 2023, pharmaceutical companies priced new U.S. drugs 35% higher than 2022.<sup>²</sup></p>
      </div>
    </div>

    
    <div class="symbol">+</div>

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Paying for Care</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/fc86b01c913a0035846e507ffde7e26f8a589f00-438x360.jpg" alt="Care Cost Graph">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan paid an average of $100 million per day for the care and benefits of members in 2024. That is $12 million more per day than 2023.</p>
      </div>
    </div>

    
    <div class="symbol">=</div>

    
    <div class="stat-card">
      <h3 class="card-title">Premium Pressures</h3>
      <div class="icon-container">
        <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/eztzxh9q/development/9a55cdc30f2f41252817ae9060370c9ef3d11085-438x360.png" alt="Expensive System Image">
      </div>
      <div class="content-container">
        <p>In 2024, for every $1 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan collected in premiums, we paid $1.04 for our members' care.</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>

  <p class="subtext">
    Your health insurance costs are the end of the cost equation. They reside downstream. Upstream are the costs within the health care system itself. The costs of medical care charged by hospitals and doctors. The price of prescription drugs. The cost of administration and continually evolving technology. These upstream costs flow downstream into your health insurance premium. This is why we are calling for systemwide solutions. We all serve you — and we owe it to you to work together to solve problems that are driving your health insurance premiums higher.
  </p>
</div>

<style>
  @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;600&display=swap');

  .stats-section2 {
    max-width: 100%;
    margin: 40px auto;
    text-align: center;
    font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
    padding: 0 16px;
    box-sizing: border-box;
  }

  .subtext {
    font-size: 18px;
    max-width: 950px;
    margin: 30px auto;
    line-height: 1.6;
    text-align: center;
  }

  .stats-section2 h2 {
    font-size: 32px;
    font-weight: 600;
    color: #222;
    margin-bottom: 30px;
  }

  .stats-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: nowrap;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: stretch;
    gap: 8px;
    width: 100%;
    box-sizing: border-box;
    overflow-x: hidden;
  }

  .stat-card {
    background: #ffffff;
    padding: 20px;
    border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
    box-shadow: 0px 4px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
    text-align: center;
    flex: 1 1 21%;
    min-width: 200px;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: space-between;
    min-height: 320px;
    box-sizing: border-box;
  }

  .symbol {
    font-size: 32px;
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #444;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    flex: 0 0 2.5%;
    min-width: 20px;
  }

  .card-title {
    font-size: 18px;
    font-weight: 600;
    color: #222;
    margin-bottom: 10px;
  }

  .icon-container img {
    width: 160px;
    height: auto;
    margin-bottom: 12px;
  }

  .content-container {
    flex-grow: 1;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    padding: 0 10px;
  }

  .content-container p {
    font-size: 16px;
    color: #444;
    line-height: 1.6;
    text-align: center;
  }

  @media (max-width: 900px) {
    .stats-container {
      flex-direction: column;
      align-items: center;
    }

    .stat-card {
      width: 90%;
    }

    .symbol {
      font-size: 24px;
      margin: 10px 0;
    }

    .subtext {
      padding: 0 20px;
    }
  }
</style>

<div class="affordability-closing">
    <h2 class="closing-heading">We act in service to our members and customers — always.</h2>
    <p class="closing-text">
        The cost of accessing health care services matters. It concerns us every day. Because health care is personal to every single member we serve, it must be affordable. This is why we are calling for system-wide solutions. We all serve you — and we owe it to you to work together to solve problems that are driving your health insurance premiums higher.
    </p>
</div>

<style>
    /* Import Google Font */
    @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;600&display=swap');

    /* Main Section Styling */
    .affordability-closing {
        max-width: 1100px;
        margin: 40px auto;
        text-align: center;
        font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
    }
    /* Closing Statement */
    .closing-heading {
        font-size: 24px;
        font-weight: 700;
        color: #222;
        margin-top: 40px;
    }

    .closing-text {
        font-size: 16px;
        color: #444;
        max-width: 950px;
        margin: 0 auto;
        line-height: 1.6;
    }

    /* Responsive Design */
    @media (max-width: 900px) {
        .affordability-container {
            flex-direction: column;
            align-items: center;
        }

        .affordability-card {
            width: 90%;
        }
    }
</style>

<div class="source-references">
  <p class="bcbsm-link">
    <a href="https://www.bcbsm.com/individuals/help/buying-insurance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bcbsm.com</a>
  </p>
  <p class="source-label">Sources</p>
  <p class="source-links">
    <sup>¹</sup> <a href="https://www.bcbs.com/news-and-insights/white-paper/affordability-solutions-white-paper" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blue Cross and Blue Shield</a>,
    <sup>²</sup> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prices-new-us-drugs-rose-35-2023-more-than-previous-year-2024-02-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reuters</a>
  </p>
</div>

<style>
  .source-references {
    font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif;
    font-size: 14px;
    color: #666;
    max-width: 900px;
    margin: 40px auto;
    text-align: center;
    padding: 0 20px;
  }

  .bcbsm-link {
    margin-bottom: 8px;
  }

  .source-label {
    font-weight: 600;
    margin-bottom: 5px;
  }

  .source-links {
    margin: 0;
  }

  .source-references a {
    color: #0073e6;
    text-decoration: none;
  }

  .source-references a:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
  }
</style>


Affordability

Blue Daily

MI Blue Daily is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Latest

Affordability Matters: A Special Edition Podcast Series