Vitalic Health survey: Leaders united on need for healthcare affordability, divided on how to fix it

CHICAGO, June 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Top healthcare experts across the nation overwhelmingly agree the U.S. healthcare system is financially unsustainable, and every stakeholder must share responsibility for making care more affordable, according to a Vitalic Health affordability survey released today.

Powered by the neutral, nonpartisan, nonprofit Healthcare Financial Management Association, Vitalic Health was designed to convene healthcare stakeholders to address issues negatively impacting affordability, health outcomes and industry financial sustainability.

The invitation-only survey included 30 leading executives from health systems, health plans, healthcare technology companies, consumer advocates, consultancies and the capital markets. Major findings include:

• 90% of respondents said the current U.S. healthcare system is not financially sustainable
• 77% believe healthcare will reach an existential tipping point within three years.
• One-third of respondents say no single stakeholder is positioned to lead healthcare affordability efforts alone.
• 27% pointed to federal policy intervention as the most likely catalyst for change.

“Our survey findings reinforce what Americans are already feeling every day — healthcare affordability has become one of the defining challenges facing our nation,” said HFMA President and CEO C. Ann Jordan. “What’s striking is that experts across healthcare agree the system must change, but there’s also recognition that no one can solve this alone. The path forward depends on shared accountability and purposeful collaboration.”

Survey respondents identified misaligned incentives across payers, providers and employers as the leading driver of rising healthcare costs. Two-thirds said shared accountability for the total cost of care would create the greatest impact on advancing affordability.

The survey also found cautious optimism around AI. Sixty percent of leaders said AI has the potential to reduce healthcare costs rather than simply shifting or adding to them.

“It’s past time to address the healthcare affordability crisis,” Jordan said. “Healthcare leaders are coming around to the urgency, and there is growing momentum for finding practical, collaborative solutions that improve affordability while strengthening the long-term sustainability of healthcare.”

To access the full report and for more information about Vitalic Health, please visit hfma.org/vitalichealth.

About Vitalic Health
Powered by the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Vitalic Health strives to advance affordability, financial sustainability and better health outcomes in U.S. healthcare. It facilitates solve-based convening among diverse industry stakeholders to address the complexities of lowering health expenditures and increasing health and lifespan to improve the vitality of communities across the country. Vitalic Health seeks to expand HFMA’s longstanding mission of leading the financial management of healthcare by revolutionizing business practices and payment models.

About HFMA
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) equips its more than 145,000 members nationwide to navigate a complex healthcare landscape. Finance professionals in the full range of work settings, including hospitals, health systems, physician practices and health plans, trust HFMA to provide the guidance and tools to help them lead their organizations, and the industry, forward. HFMA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that advances healthcare by collaborating with other key stakeholders to address industry challenges and providing guidance, education, practical tools and solutions, and thought leadership. We lead the financial management of healthcare.

Media inquiries:
Brad Dennison
bdennison@hfma.org