For months Congress has been debating massive changes to the nation’s social safety net, one of which is the highly popular Medicare prescription drug benefit. Unfortunately, much of what is being debated around that benefit today loses sight of the real barriers to a better health care system. It is a fact that too often, accessing medical treatment in the United States is harder than it should be. Today, three in 10 Americans face financial barriers to care – and that’s Americans with health insurance. Access hurdles exist throughout the health care system, including doctors’ visits, hospitals, insurance premiums and deductibles and, yes, medicines.
