Ensuring Care for Every Condition

The Challenge

Chronic diseases are the leading drivers of illness, disability, and healthcare costs in the United States. Six in ten U.S. adults live with at least one chronic disease, and four in ten live with two or more. Seven of the ten leading causes of death - including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke - result from chronic conditions. The toll on patients, families, and the healthcare system is staggering.

Managing chronic disease is not just a matter of health, but also a matter of economics. Care for chronic conditions accounts for 90% of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare spending. Patients often face lifelong treatment needs, repeated hospitalizations, and daily management challenges.

Many still encounter unnecessary barriers to care, from insurance denials and high out-of-pocket costs to lack of access to the medications and education that can prevent complications. The growing burden of chronic disease demands bold policy solutions to remove systemic barriers, expand access to care, and reduce preventable suffering.

Our Response

The Harbor Path Policy Council works to promote smart public policies to ensure that patients with chronic diseases have reliable access to the medications and care they need. Combined with HarborPath's direct support for patients, we advocate for public policies that remove multiple barriers to care for common and rare chronic diseases.

  • Support HarborPath’s work to deliver life-saving medications for patients with chronic diseases who face financial or insurance barriers.

  • Support education campaigns that empower patients and caregivers.

  • Advocate for reforms that eliminate systemic barriers and prioritize care and accessible medications for patients with chronic conditions.

  • Engage with coalitions of patient advocates, providers, policymakers, and pharmaceutical partners to work towards common goals of saving lives.

Policy Priorities

  • A doctor explaining a medical procedure to a middle-aged man in an MRI room.

    Eliminating Barriers to Care

    Reforming insurance practices that delay or deny treatment, such as prior authorization, non-medical switching, narrow networks, and step therapy.

    More effective regulation of insurance middlemen, such as pharmacy benefit managers, to ensure better access to needed medications and manage costs.

    Reducing high out-of-pocket expenses and arbitrary rate hikes.


  • Curved wooden bookshelf filled with colorful books in a library.

    Supporting Education and Prevention

    Supporting government agency efforts to educate Americans about the dangers of chronic diseases and their risk factors.

    Work with advocacy partners and patient coalitions to promote policies that will better educate patients about healthy lifestyles and the prevention of chronic disease onset.

    Advocate for policies that will increase provider and caregiver education for chronic disease management, including the right of any patient or caregiver to know their diagnosis, prognosis, potential for health complications, and treatment options.


  • A row of microscopes on a laboratory bench in a science laboratory.

    Advancing Research and Innovation

    Supporting investment in clinical research for chronic diseases.

    Promoting patient choice, including access to experimental and breakthrough therapies.

    Advocating for policies that will advance protections for our most at-risk chronic disease patients, including those dependent on Medicare and Medicaid.

The Path Forward

Chronic diseases touch nearly every American family. These diseases drain lives, livelihoods, and resources. The HarborPath Policy Council is committed to breaking down financial, systemic, and educational barriers so that patients with chronic illnesses have access to consistent, life-saving care.

A dirt trail winding through grassy, colorful shrub-covered hills near the ocean with a cloudy sky overhead.
Person walking on a muddy forest trail wearing a blue jacket, gray knit hat, and black gloves, holding a walking stick.

Make an impact today

Every day, patients across the United States face life-threatening challenges – from cancer and chronic diseases to opioid overdoses. The HarborPath Policy Council works to remove barriers, improve access to medications, promote education and prevention, and advance public policies that protect patients and save lives. Your donation empowers us to continue this critical advocacy work, ensuring every patient has the care, resources, and policy protections they need.

Your generosity drives real-world change. With your support, we can expand access to treatments, influence policies that protect vulnerable communities, and continue our mission to save lives through both direct support and effective public policy.

If your company is interested in providing a corporate grant to support our policy work, please contact us at info@hppolicy.org.

Join us in creating a healthier, safer future. Every gift counts.

3% Cover the Fee