Success Stories
The America’s Agenda Spotlight
Leaders of Labor’s Transformation to High-Value Health Care
Next-Generation Primary Care Lowers Costs and Improves Satisfaction
The Meatpacking Industry
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) bargains health benefits for 175,000 packinghouse workers employed at a handful of large corporations. Healthcare costs were rising at double-digit rates suppressing wage growth for workers.
Open to a solution that would have a real and lasting impact, UFCW and the largest employer worked with America’s Agenda to redesign the primary care model. Together, they piloted three medical homes in two states applying principles of high-performance primary care proposed by America’s Agenda.
In the first year, overall health costs rose by less than half a percent, contributing to the largest wage increase in years for UFCW packinghouse workers. UFCW members raved about their new healthcare experience, and now, eight additional locations are under development.
Miami Building Service Workers
The SEIU Local 32BJ and Employers Taft-Hartley Health & Welfare Trust confronted excessively high health costs for more than 700 32BJ-represented workers employed at the University of Miami, Miami International Airport, and local commercial properties.
Leaders of the Trust took a bold step to adopt a revolutionary new model of high-value primary care, incorporating design principles proposed by America’s Agenda. The model offers local union members unlimited, access to an expanded scope of primary care services with no out-of-pocket costs. The Trust opened the Miami 32BJ Health Center and workers helped select the doctor who would become their own personal physician.
Health costs for participating union members fell, and outcomes for the workers improved significantly. Union members express deep appreciation for the personalized care.
Dramatic Reduction in Public Employee Rx Costs Without Cutting Health Benefits
New Jersey State Employees
Faced with rapidly rising public employee health costs, a budget impasse, and a looming government shutdown, the State of New Jersey needed a game-changing solution that could be adopted by a divided State government. State leaders adopted a strategy proposed by America’s Agenda for creating a technology-enabled, competitive marketplace for state contracting of prescription drug benefits.
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We are rooting out PBM profiteering at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers and public employees. We are achieving enormous savings without any cuts in public employee benefits and no compromises in the quality of health care for hard working public employees and their families.”
— New Jersey State Senate President, Stephen Sweeney
Bold and Comprehensive Reforms in the States
Vermont Health Reform
In the mid-2000s, there was significant interest in building momentum toward national health reform. Yet many of the policy proposals were untested and the political climate in Washington wasn’t fertile ground for progress. America’s Agenda embarked on a strategic effort to develop health reform legislation at the state level to provide templates for the development of effective reform nationally.
In Vermont, America’s Agenda turned the tide on a comprehensive reform that most thought was dead-in-the-water. Working closely with leaders in the state and listening to the needs and concerns of residents, America’s Agenda, with its Labor and community allies, achieved a remarkable bi-partisan legislative victory by executing a campaign that included cutting-edge communications, public organizing, and innovative design of health reform policy.