Americans are paying more than ever for healthcare yet are sicker than they have been in decades. While the rest of the world’s average life expectancy has continued to increase, the U.S. numbers have decreased to levels not seen in 30 years. While the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly a contributing factor to this problem, the trend began before COVID and has continued to linger after the Public Health Emergency ended. Medical debt continues to be the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.[i] The outlook and challenges facing healthcare issues have remained unfortunately consistent since TCCRI’s last Healthcare and Human Services Task Force Report: the cost of care continues to increase; Texans still grapple for affordable coverage options; transparency remains more of a pipe dream than a reality; government mandates have grown; and access to care continues to be a significant burden for many across the state. These issues are not new. TCCRI’s task forces and healthcare policymakers have been working to tackle them for years. Accordingly, some of these recommendations will echo those of previous years, because TCCRI remains steadfast in the belief that the only way to truly attack these challenges head on is through free-market principles.  

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For years, TCCRI has convened a series of task forces during the legislative interims to study a number of health care issues. While topics have spanned the full purview of the healthcare marketplace, all of the issues and challenges in the private healthcare sector can be summarized into three primary needs: freedom from mandates, making healthcare providers more accessible, and creating competition, though there is significant overlap between these categories.