The health care resources available in the U.S. are unimaginable to most of the world s people. Yet, in the U.S., access to health care services is a growing problem.
Health care is expensive.
If paid for entirely out of pocket, even routine care can be burdensome. Hospitalization or care for long-term or catastrophic acute conditions can totally deplete even sizable bank accounts. Some form of health insurance is crucial to ensuring adequate access to necessary and appropriate health care. That number is growing. However, insurance no longer provides assurance of access to adequate health care services.