Health care politics There is reasonable, bipartisan consensus that changes should be made to ensure that individuals have access to affordable health care. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The U.S. health care system is broken. Over the years, the system has become very expensive and difficult for individuals to navigate; in fact, more than 27 million people in the U.S. are without any type of health insurance. For these individuals, the cost of care alone can exceed their financial resources – putting many at risk if they should become ill.

The basic employer driven health care benefit system that we live in today is a legacy of World War II–and for the first 60 years, it worked well. The majority of health care costs were covered by the health plans, premiums were largely paid by employers, and low copays and deductibles were manageable for most. However, over the past 20 years, the cost of health care has gone up significantly with increasing premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.


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