Health Care Affordability Center

Enough is Enough

Rising health care costs are putting unsustainable pressure on small businesses, and the system can’t keep pushing those costs downstream.

SBAM and our Board of Directors have been clear: year‑after‑year premium increases are limiting employers’ ability to hire, grow, and invest in their people. That’s why we are using our voice to demand accountability, elevate the real impact on small employers, and engage insurers, policymakers, and partners who are working to make health care more affordable. Check out our advocacy, policy priorities, member resources, and ongoing efforts to help move the conversation from frustration to solutions.

SBAM’s Board Issues Open Letter

Health care affordability is a present‑day business challenge, and small businesses cannot keep absorbing year‑over‑year increases.

That’s why the SBAM Board of Directors issued an open letter, now published in The Detroit News as well as Crain’s Detroit Business (left), to say clearly what our members are experiencing every day: we can’t take this anymore.

The letter outlines how rising health care costs are:

Crowding out hiring, wages, and growth
Forcing impossible tradeoffs for small employers
Threatening the long‑term vitality of Michigan’s economy

Use these ready‑to‑go social posts and graphics to share the letter:

SBAM Social Sharing Toolkit

Read the Letter

Additional Resources

SBAM is committed to solutions – working across the health care system with insurers, policymakers, and partners who are focused on affordability and long‑term sustainability.

As part of that work, we want to make you aware of affordability resources published by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which outline:

What’s driving health care costs upstream
How medical prices, prescription drugs, and utilization impact premiums
Efforts BCBSM says it is taking to bend the cost curve and improve value

What is Blue Cross Doing To Make Your Healthcare More Affordable?

Affordability Hub

Blueprint for Affordability

Read the Blueprint

Update on the BCBSM / Michigan Medicine Agreement

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Michigan Medicine (UM) have reached an initial agreement that will continue in-network status for Michigan Medicine’s academic medical center and affiliated facilities, clinics and physicians in and around Ann Arbor.

The continued growth of healthcare costs within the system and resulting premium increases is a topic we hear about from our membership, perhaps more than any other, and we know it has forced your hands on tough business decisions. We’re grateful that both sides on this negotiation came to terms that emphasize efficiency, value and constraint in the cost structure.

While this agreement is great news for all of those who receive quality care at Michigan Medicine’s academic medical center, we know the continued pursuit of healthcare affordability is critical. We’re committed to advocating for policies at both the elected and institutional level that prohibit further double-digit premium increases – increases we know you can no longer sustain.