Background: Healthcare Costs

Access to insurance is important—but it doesn't mean much if it doesn't reduce what you're spending on healthcare. Insurance premiums are one part of the equation, but the total money a person spends on healthcare includes premiums, copayments, deductibles, and any procedures not covered by the policy. And that's only for one person—there's also the matter of how much we spend on healthcare as a country. Let's see if—and how—costs have changed since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.