Clearly We Have A Problem With Access To Health Insurance

Category: Finance, Insurance.

The answer to this question is not because 47 million Americans cannot get health insurance. There are millions of Americans who cannot get health coverage due to their health status.

The answer is far more complex. Americans with serious health conditions are often unable to get policies due to health insurers not issuing a policy to them for fear of losing money. Clearly we have a problem with access to health insurance. But those not able to obtain health coverage represent around 25% of the 47 million uninsured Americans. Thirty one states have high risk pools that allow individuals with moderate or serious health conditions to enter in to a high risk pool and obtain coverage. Small employers are rapidly dropping their insurance offerings as prices continue to rise at a pace more than four times the consumer price index.

Check with your state department of insurance to see if a high risk health pool is available. More than 40% of employers with fewer than 50 employees do not offer coverage for medical insurance. Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 average one in three who go without medical insurance. Even those employers who offer health insurance have many employees opting out of the coverage because their portion is cost prohibitive. Those in this age range go without health insurance because they cannot afford the coverage or feel they do not need the coverage. Children generally cannot coverage on their own.

Children are among the most prevalently represented groups without health coverage. Due to problems with access for their parent or parents, many children go without coverage. Many argue that 47 million is too high of a number. The State Children s Health Insurance Program was developed to provide access to children who do not have coverage currently and do not qualify for Medicaid. There are Americans counted in this number who are between jobs and do not continue coverage while in the transition between jobs. Regardless of the actual number, as the world s most affluent nation, we have problems with access to health insurance. A new report by the Congressional Budget Office( CBO) , "How Many People Lack Health Insurance and For How Long? ," suggest the uninsured population as a far more fluid group than is generally acknowledged: a significant number are chronically uninsured, but many are without insurance for a short period only.

Some cannot obtain insurance, others choose not take insurance and we remain a nation with costs being shifted from those insured to those uninsured.

Read more...

Also Examine The Range Of Coverage Your Health Plan Offers - Finance and Insurance:

Health care costs on the rise, but there are a number of ways to lower your medical expenses.

It Also Gives You Greater Flexibility And Discretion Over How You Use Your Health Care Benefits - Finance and Insurance Articles:

Benefits experts are stating that conventional coverage, such as health maintenance organizations( HMOs) and preferred provider organizations( PPOs) , are still the main types of health care plans. The HSA is a tax- favored savings account that s combined with a qualifying HDHP.

This Fact Is Clearly Evidenced By The Many Complaints Received By The Short- Term Insurance Ombud - Finance and Insurance Blog:

Consumers often rely on the travel insurance available as part of their credit card facility, medical aid cover or insurance policies, but this could leave travellers stranded in a foreign country without the funds to receive adequate assistance or medical treatment.