Is Health Insurance Necessary?
There are several reasons why people do not have health insurance. They neither expect to need medical care nor do they have a chronic condition. They may not want to pay or cannot afford to pay the cost of a health insurance benefit plan.
Many of the uninsured depend on emergency rooms or safety net hospital care as a substitute for health insurance. The U.S. safety net provides emergency care to individuals regardless of their ability to pay. However, even well supported safety-net care does not provide the same extent of quality health care as a health insurance plan.
The major downfall of being uninsured is that such people are less likely to receive timely care, or even obtain medical care. The uninsured adult usually receives fewer screening services than an insured person with a regular constant source of care.
Pregnant women are less likely to receive constant, regular prenatal services. Also, both uninsured children and adults often do not receive or follow all of the prescribed recommended treatment. Chronic conditions, such as drug therapy for high blood pressure, are notably shorted in this area.
Many uninsured develop deadly illnesses and conditions that early diagnoses could have easily averted, such as cervical or breast cancer, or high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Many of these maladies, especially cancers, usually respond well to treatment if detected early enough. Over 18,000 preventable deaths happen yearly among the uninsured. Preventable, if timely care or adhering to the recommended treatment had been followed.
A study showed that even with unexpected injuries or a new manifestation of a chronic condition, uninsured people were less likely to obtain any medical care or followed the recommended treatment.
Valid statistics show that people with health insurance have better health and improved lives than those who don’t. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded during a recent multi-year study, “Coverage matters.”
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