Breaking Down Barriers to Care
The end of 2025 is quickly approaching, and with it, the opportunity to reflect on a year in which the health care landscape started to change dramatically, in ways that may have lasting impacts.
Michael Heimall
As I wrote in my November 12th column, health care is becoming more expensive and harder to access. The patients we serve are anxious and uncertain about how these cost and access issues will affect them. I think it bears repeating that amid all the change and uncertainty, one thing will not change: HealthWell’s commitment to ensuring that patients do not forgo needed care simply because they cannot afford it.
Another thing that will not change is HealthWell’s commitment to bringing you compelling content on health issues affecting Americans through our Real World Health Care blog. This year, Real World Health Care shared insights about the importance of mental and behavioral health care. We profiled national non-profit organizations and spoke with clinicians, social workers, and other thought leaders to uncover some of the most pressing mental health care barriers facing patients and their families – and how those barriers are being addressed and overcome.
In January, we will turn our attention to a new topic when we launch our 2026 blog series, Financial Toxicity & Patient Navigation: Real-Time Solutions. The series will share actionable patient navigation strategies and solutions designed to help those struggling with the stress, expense, and instability caused by direct and indirect health care costs. We look forward to bringing you the good news of what’s really working to help the millions of Americans facing financial toxicity because of a life-altering medical diagnosis.
I invite you to follow our coverage of financial toxicity and patient navigation by subscribing to Real World Health Care. Simply enter your email address in the “Sign Up for RWHC Alerts” prompt at the top of this page, and we’ll deliver a new blog article to you every other week.
I also invite you to discover our upcoming companion webinar series, which highlights innovative partnerships, practical tools, and replicable models that are expanding access and reducing financial burdens in real time. Learn more about the “Financial Toxicity & Patient Navigation: A Real-Time, Solutions-Focused Webinar Series” here: https://www.healthwellfoundation.org/about/financial-toxicity-webinar-series/
To all those who shared their thoughts and insights with our Real World Health Care subscribers this year – and to every subscriber and reader — I give my sincere thanks and gratitude, along with my warmest wishes for a festive holiday season and a bright and happy New Year.
Do you have a story to share with Real World Health Care subscribers? Best practices, innovative programs, or free services to highlight? Reach out to our managing editor and let us know.
