In Michigan and around the nation, the growing cost of health care has taxed our employer-based health care system, contributing to the crisis in the manufacturing sector and the continued rise in Medicaid enrollment. Despite these efforts, Michigan still has too many citizens -- more than 1 million -- without health insurance coverage. APRIL 1, 2002] In regard to health care, “access” refers to the ease with which people can obtain the care they need in a timely fashion. People sometimes do not get care because their insurance does not cover certain services, or they do not have insurance at all;

• if they have insurance, high copayments or deductibles may discourage them from seeking necessary care;
• there are few or no providers (e.g., doctors, hospitals, clinics) within convenient distance;
• language or cultural barriers between them and their provider(s) make it hard for them to receive the care they need;
• insurance companies deny their claims; or
• they do not have transportation, cannot get time off from work, or cannot find a babysitter.