Health insurance quote
One of the biggest economic and social issues that Americans are facing today is healthcare. The increasing cost of both health insurance coverage and medical care are affecting the lives of many Americans in some way. Not being able to pay for medical care that is necessary is not only a problem the uninsured are dealing with; it is now a problem for people that do have health insurance coverage.
The United States is quickly turning into one of the least satisfactory health care systems throughout the world even though they have one of the highest rates for health care spending. The county is also the only developed nation that does not provide any form of universal health care cover to citizens.
In just 2008, premiums of group health insurance increased 5 percent; this is two times the inflation rate. The yearly premium for a health care plans with an employer covering a family of four members averaged almost $12,700 and the yearly premium for a single person to be coverage was more than $4,700. As the spending on health care cost continues to increase at a fast rate, it is forcing not only families but also businesses to cut back on expenses and operations.
Government officials and policymakers are both in agreement that the cost of health care has to be controlled. But, now they do disagree on the best way to take care of the rising spending and premiums. Some want to control prices and enforce strong budgets on spending. Others feel that free market competition is the way to take care of the problems. Advocates of public health believe that if Americans live a healthy lifestyle, the cost of health care would lower as people would need less medical care.
There has been no agreement set on one solution to the high price tag of health care. There are many ways that health care can be implemented to control the costs. We do know for a fact that if the rate of the rising health care spending and premiums continue with today’s trends, the cost of not acting on it will greatly continue to affect employers and consumers.
A recent study has found that those people who are underinsured do not behave any differently than those who are uninsured when it comes the medical care. Neither visits the doctor very often, do not fill prescriptions, do not have regular preventive checkups or lab work completed. Many people who are underinsured are not able to pay for all medical costs even if they go without preventive care and prescriptions that are necessary.
Someone who is considered to be underinsured will vary depending on the person’s circumstances. Researchers from the Commonwealth Fund find underinsured people those who have medical expenses that are 10 percent or more of their income or 5 percent of their income if they are considered ‘low income’.
The following are disturbing statistics concerning health care coverage of Americans:
1. 36% of families who are living below poverty are uninsured.
2. A Hispanic American is twice as likely to be uninsured compared to a White American.
3. 21% of black Americans are not covered by health insurance at all.