Every individual has a right to be healthy and have access to high-quality, affordable health care to maximize their physical, social, and mental health.

Health insurance helps individuals and families access needed primary care, specialists, and emergency care, but is insufficient to ensure access on its own. Inadequate health insurance coverage is one of the largest barriers to access to care, and inequity in coverage contributes to health disparities. Other major factors that affect access to care include the cost of care, availability of providers in relatively close proximity to patients, and availability of providers who speak patients’ languages and reflect their races/ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations.