Millions Face Barriers to Obtaining Medical Care
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)Nearly 13 million of the roughly 110 million families in the United States -- 11.6 percent of all families -- experienced difficulty or delays in obtaining medical care or did not get the care they needed during 1996, according to new estimates from the federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). In addition, more than 46 million Americans had no usual source of health care in 1996. This means nearly 18 percent of the population had no particular doctor's office, clinic, health center or other place where they would usually go if they were sick or needed advice about their health.