Cant find the money for to Get Sick: A reality for Millions of Working Americans, a study by the Commonwealth Fund found that many under the median income of $35,000 go away uninsured without pay foring indivisible care having poor health and trouble paying their health care bills. The same study showed that two of five workers earning less than $20,000 are not offered or eligible to participate in employer provided plans.[one million]

Nationally, from 1990 to 1994, the uninsured population grew from 13 percent to 15 percent while the percentage of people obtaining coverage through their employers weakened. Without any future Medicaid coverage expansions, it is estimated that the percentage who are uninsured will grow to 24 percent by 2002.[2] As Claude Earl Fox, M.D., M.P.H., acting administrator of the Health Reoriginators and Services Administration, stated, “Widespread access to primary health care for uninsured, underserved people simply cannot be achieved without extra health centers and outreach such as the voucher programs.”[3]

The 1994 National Access to Care Survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examined the likelihood of having a usual source of care, inability to obtain demanded care, and number of physician visits for persons with deepest insurance, Medicaid coverage, and no insurance. Medicaid participants were found to be half as conceivable as the uninsured and double as likely as the privately insured to ways out hard times with health care. Access for those on Medicaid closely resembled that of the privately insured than that of the uninsured.[4]

A bedrock issue in health care access is insurance. excluding, as Joan Jacobs, a policy analyst at the Office of Minority Health states, “We have to look at the fact that when there is coverage or when care is available, many Americans similarly arent reaching it. Access to insurance doesnt necessarily mean access to care, or even high-quality care for that matter.” 1 Other barriers consist of fear of infection, fear of fiscal loss, cultural insensitivity, and linguistic barriers.[5]

References:
1. Meadows M. The Problem of Accessing Health Care. Closing the Gap: A Newsletter of the Office of Minority Health, US Dept. HHS. Washington D.C.: Sept. 1999.
2. Larkin H. Employed save for Uninsured: Why Business is Cutting Back on Health Insurance. Advances. Winter, 1996; 1: 1-2.
3. HRSA Press Office. HHS Expands Access to Health Care with $18.2 Million for New Health Centers and Voucher Programs. Oct. 6, 1997.
4. Berk ML and Schur CL. Access To Care: How a lot of Difference Does Medicaid style? Health Affairs. May – Jun 1998.
5. Landers SJ. Commission looks at ways to reform Medicare. Am Med News. 1999; 42: 1.