Acosta: Congress must fix our American insurance industry

The past couple years have been full of trials and tribulations. My dad is suffering from kidney failure, and, as if that wasn’t enough, my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I have had to step up to be the main caregiver for both of them.

Not only have I had to help them get to and from their appointments, pick up their prescriptions, and tend to them when they feel too ill to get out of bed, but I’ve had to deal with their insurance company, too. The constant back and forth with insurers, fighting over what is and is not covered, has been absolutely exhausting.

And unfortunately, my parents aren’t the only ones struggling with this broken system. Millions of insured patients still have thousands of dollars in medical debt. Worse still, nearly half of all insured Americans are don’t have easy access to the prescriptions they need, facing burdens like prior authorization and fail first mechanisms.

As I’ve grappled to get my parents the lifesaving care they need, it’s been clear to me that our insurance system is in desperate need of repair. And I hope that our legislators in D.C. will step up to fix the industry. Instead of placing undue burdens on the scientists and researchers who create the medications patients rely on, I urge our leaders to focus on improving insurance coverage across the board.