| By :
Marilyn Katz
Why is it important to have health insurance? With today's economy in shambles and many losing their jobs because of companies cutting down costs, it is easy to push proper health coverage aside and in some cases, even get rid of it completely. This could be a huge error. Even when times are tough, it is probably a mistake to totally terminate medical coverage. The reality is that everyone, no matter how healthy, will eventually get sick. Health insurance acts as a buffer to protect you from the unwanted and unexpected costs of health care. A lot of people do not really know how much medical services cost in the US. As a matter of fact, if someone becomes sick just once and requires hospitalization, their costs could be significantly greater than a monthly health insurance premium. If you are lucky enough to be pefectly healthy now, you shoud still get routine checkups. With health insurance, your doctor visit costs are minimal and if prescriptions are required, they too are subsidized with proper health insurance. It is also well documented that uninsured people get about half as much care as those who have a private insurance provider. This is after taking into account any free care and Medicaid dollars spent. As a result, those who are uninsured receive fewer preventive and screening services leading to a decrease in overall health. Frequent screenings such as those for certain cancers are essential to detect and treat potentially deadly diseases. If you do not have medical benefits, you probably neglect routine checkups that can catch problems early. If you have decent medical coverage, you can avoid this. People with health insurance also get to take advantage of discounts that are negotiated by the insurers. People without insurance tend to report medical billing mistakes twice as often as insured people do. Even more alarming is the fact that medical bill expenses have been found to be a contributor in one sixth or more of all bankruptcies nationwide. When it all comes down to it, uninsured people are proven to be sicker and more apt to die prematurely than those who have proper health insurance. In many cases, the cost of not having proper health care far outweighs the benefits that people seem to think they are receiving. Keep in mind that in a worse case scenario, one injury or visit to the doctor, no matter how minor it might be, can wipe away all of the money saved during the time had without health insurance. If you really stop and consider the advantages and disadvantages of having a medical plan, you probably come to the decision that you really do need to be covered.
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