Dear Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Liz Breadon,
We, the undersigned, petition to make the healthcare system less complex and easier to navigate. Currently, the average annual cost of healthcare per resident in Massachusetts is $11,153, while average cost for families is $30,000. Healthcare costs are increasing at rapid levels; since 2019, healthcare spending has grown an average of 5.2% per resident annually. At the same time, healthcare is difficult to navigate. Many residents find that the healthcare system is confusing and time-consuming to understand.
In a 2025 Boston Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) where participants were asked to identify what could make accessing healthcare easier, respondents ranked ‘help with understanding or coordinating my care’ 9th overall, highlighting the need for a simpler system. Residents face challenges like confusing medical bills, changes in insurance eligibility, extreme out-of-pocket costs and low health literacy levels. Health insurance policies can be overwhelming for residents. Healthcare can be especially complex because of complicated fees that make cost estimates vague and advanced medical terminology.
Furthermore, there are serious issues with accessibility. Patients regularly encounter long wait times and low availability rates for appointments. In a 2024 Boston CHNA, only 30.5% of residents reported having access to mental health care they needed over the past year. Difficulties in the coordination of healthcare directly impact our community. As confusion in the healthcare system increases, potential medical debt, financial stress, and the volume of patients not being able to access critical appointments increases. Ignoring issues regarding the navigation of healthcare will do nothing but impede community growth and safety.
Ultimately, we urge you to support residents by expanding funding for patient navigator programs that would help Boston communities thrive. These specialists would guide patients through the complex healthcare system, counsel residents on insurance issues, help with appointments and scheduling, and advocate for patients in unfair care crises. Additionally, navigators would educate patients on topics such as advanced insurance and medical terminology. The introduction of healthcare navigators would streamline the complex process of healthcare and ensure access to services across the city.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Helen Cregor
References from Research:
https://masshpc.gov/news/press-release/health-care...
3 Comments
getting an appointment anywhere in this city is a nightmare. it takes forever and then you end up with a bill you dont even understand. fixing this is long overdue.
I support this
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Dear Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Liz Breadon,
We, the undersigned, petition to make the healthcare system less complex and easier to navigate. Currently, the average annual cost of healthcare per resident in Massachusetts is $11,153, while average cost for families is $30,000. Healthcare costs are increasing at rapid levels; since 2019, healthcare spending has grown an average of 5.2% per resident annually. At the same time, healthcare is difficult to navigate. Many residents find that the healthcare system is confusing and time-consuming to understand.
In a 2025 Boston Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) where participants were asked to identify what could make accessing healthcare easier, respondents ranked ‘help with understanding or coordinating my care’ 9th overall, highlighting the need for a simpler system. Residents face challenges like confusing medical bills, changes in insurance eligibility, extreme out-of-pocket costs and low health literacy levels. Health insurance policies can be overwhelming for residents. Healthcare can be especially complex because of complicated fees that make cost estimates vague and advanced medical terminology.
Furthermore, there are serious issues with accessibility. Patients regularly encounter long wait times and low availability rates for appointments. In a 2024 Boston CHNA, only 30.5% of residents reported having access to mental health care they needed over the past year. Difficulties in the coordination of healthcare directly impact our community. As confusion in the healthcare system increases, potential medical debt, financial stress, and the volume of patients not being able to access critical appointments increases. Ignoring issues regarding the navigation of healthcare will do nothing but impede community growth and safety.
Ultimately, we urge you to support residents by expanding funding for patient navigator programs that would help Boston communities thrive. These specialists would guide patients through the complex healthcare system, counsel residents on insurance issues, help with appointments and scheduling, and advocate for patients in unfair care crises. Additionally, navigators would educate patients on topics such as advanced insurance and medical terminology. The introduction of healthcare navigators would streamline the complex process of healthcare and ensure access to services across the city.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Helen Cregor
References from Research:
https://masshpc.gov/news/press-release/health-care...
3 Comments
My family has been dealing with these insane insurance bills for months and nobody at the hospital seems to know how to explain them. We need people to actually help us figure this stuff out.
getting an appointment anywhere in this city is a nightmare. it takes forever and then you end up with a bill you dont even understand. fixing this is long overdue.
I support this
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My family has been dealing with these insane insurance bills for months and nobody at the hospital seems to know how to explain them. We need people to actually help us figure this stuff out.