There's one thing that I haven't seen mentioned that would be a great place to start:
Be healthy.
I know, many people don't have that choice. There are hereditary conditions, and accidents and chronic conditions - I know. I work in the industry.
However, as a nation we've largely chosen to outsource our health.
It makes sense, in a world that operates around specialization, we tend to follow those patterns for everything. Electrical problem? Call electrician. Plumbing problem? Call plumber. Health problem? See a doctor.
It's understandable, but it's reactive and not an optimal solution for wellness.
Consider these leading areas of healthcare costs in the U.S.:
Obesity: 173 billion per year. [1]
Diabetes: 412 billion per year. [2]
Heart disease & stroke: 216 billion per year. [1]
Smoking: 240 billion per year. [3]
And alcohol just makes all of that way worse. [4]
Most of the above can be controlled.
If we really want to reduce costs and improve healthcare, I think it's best to start at home and work towards making sure we and our families are healthy and fit. It's not easy, and it takes a lot of education and work, but it's worth the effort.
If Americans did that, we could reduce healthcare spend and ease the burden of stressed medical systems. We'd all be healthier and happier.
It's not the whole answer, but it would be a great start.
The path we're on seems to be trending in the opposite direction. Processed foods, sedentary lifestyle, addictive additives, high stress jobs - it all adds up.
I think rising healthcare costs are (amongst other things) a symptom of our choice to deprioritize our wellness.
Sure there are lots of opportunities for disintermediation in the gordian knot of U.S. healthcare, and we should pursue good solutions.
But we should start with what we can directly control: our diet and fitness.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm
[2] https://diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/new-american-di...
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast...
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277306542...