13 Million Tell of Health Care Snags

Nearly 13 million families had trouble getting health care last year because of cost, insurance-related problems and difficulty making it to the doctor’s office. Uninsured families were more likely to have trouble than others, but many families with insurance also had trouble finding and paying for care they needed, according to government statistics released by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. “Uninsurance is what people talk about typically, but there are other issues,” spokesman Joel Cohen said. Managed care tops the list, he said, forcing people to get referrals for care. Others have insurance but face high co-payments, he said.