Health insurance will end up coming in handy for most people at some time in their lives, though there are still many people out there who are uninsured for one reason or another, such as personal preference, lack of funding, and many others. However, there may really be more pros than cons when it comes to having health insurance in this day and age. Specifically, having good insurance can be the protection you need if a medical emergency should arise at any time. The question among many uninsured people remains: is health insurance really necessary?
Lack of Preventive Care
Many people who are uninsured simply do not go to the doctor unless there is an emergency, and even then they may go to an urgent care facility and pay out of pocket. When individuals have health insurance plans to back them up, it is much easier for them to make frequent trips to the doctor for checkups and preventive care. An uninsured person who relies only on emergency care may not receive the quality scans and checkups needed to discover problems before they grow unmanageable. Chronic conditions may go largely untreated, and pregnant women may not be able to receive the quality prenatal and infant care that they will need.
Uninsured
There are many reasons why a person would stay uninsured, including financial and religious reasons. The cost of premiums may be too high for some people to afford, and a healthy person may feel that the money could be put to better use in some other area. Many healthy people also assume that they will never have a need for health insurance and expect that they will never need to have medical care or treatment for a chronic condition. However, accidents and illnesses can happen suddenly at any time, and easily catch an uninsured patient off guard.
Rising Costs of Health Care
While many uninsured people believe they may be able to take care of emergency doctor visits on their own, the rising costs of health care are making this less and less possible. The average price tag on a trip to a United States emergency room is about $1,100. A broken leg will cost about $7,500 to repair, and a hip replacement is about $32,000. Standard childbirth costs can be anywhere from $5,000 to $11,000, with costs going up even higher if a C-section delivery is required. It is crucial to have a good health insurance plan can take care of these high costs.
The Necessity of Health Insurance
Not only should standard testing and checkups be completed regularly for optimal health, but urgent care also needs to be sought in cases of emergencies such as a critical illness or sudden accident. Having a good health insurance plan in place can offset or completely pay for these medical visits. This keeps patients from having to deal with a lifetime of financial strain due to piles of expensive medical bills. Every uninsured person needs to look carefully at all of the options and make an informed decision about the protection of insurance in their life.