Affordability in Action: Building a Stronger, More Sustainable Michigan

This article appeared in the August 2026 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

For Michigan employers, health care affordability is a business issue as much as a benefits issue. At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we believe a sustainable health care system starts with making care affordable and accessible before people need it most. As responsible stewards of our members’ health care dollars, we invest in solutions that improve health, expand access and strengthen communities statewide. When people can get preventive care, manage chronic conditions earlier and avoid unnecessary high-cost care, employees are healthier, employers face less disruption … and communities benefit.

Keeping Health Care Affordable

Affordability is about more than premiums. It means helping people get the right care in the right place before health issues become crises. Through value-based care, preventive services, virtual care and lower-cost pharmacy solutions, we are reducing unnecessary medical expenses and improving outcomes. Our value-based care model has helped avoid billions in unnecessary medical costs, while innovations in prescription drug affordability have delivered meaningful savings for members. These efforts help families, employers and communities by keeping care within reach, supporting earlier intervention and reducing pressure on high-cost care settings.

Investing in Community Health

That same belief guides our commitment to community investments. Helping uninsured and underinsured residents get preventive and primary care before health issues become emergencies is essential to affordability. Blue Cross invests in signature grant programs that strengthen access, prevention and community health across Michigan. Over the past 20 years, Blue Cross has invested more than $17 million to help free and low-cost clinics serve uninsured and underinsured Michiganians. Since 2009, Building Healthy Communities, a school-based program improving the physical and mental health of staff and students, has reached 615,000 students in more than 1,400 schools, while the Food Pantry grant program has supported 220 food pantries since 2022.

Why This Work Matters

The results show why this work matters. Safety net investments have helped clinics deliver more than two million patient visits, serve more than 250,000 people and avoid hundreds of thousands of unnecessary emergency room visits, saving an estimated $200 million for Michigan’s health care system. Those numbers reflect more than cost savings. Affordability and sustainability go hand in hand. Investing in prevention and clinical care where people live, work and learn builds a stronger, healthier and more economically resilient Michigan.

About the Author

Tiffany A. Albert is senior vice president of Community Relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), accountable for Community Responsibility, Social Mission and BCBSM Foundation functions. Albert is also President of the BCBSM Foundation. She previously served as president and chief executive officer of Blue Care Network (BCN), Michigan’s largest health maintenance organization.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is an MMA Premium Associate Member and has been an MMA member company since September 2009. Visit online: bcbsm.com.