The dramatic rise in health care costs is partly a response to uncompensated care, which shifts costs from the uninsured to the insured. The key efforts of the Consumer Health and Retirement Initiative will be focused on reducing the cost of health insurance coverage, increasing the availability of private sector options to obtain coverage, and ensuring government programs are available as a safety net only for those who cannot afford to obtain private coverage. Preserving the employment-based health system and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which provides the legal framework for employers to offer health care benefits to American workers and their families, are critical until market-based changes can create strong alternative coverage options.