As there is no universal healthcare in the United States, insurance is required for most people when it comes to their medical care. Although there are some government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, most people are not eligible for these. It is therefore necessary to purchase healthcare insurance because the cost of treatment is so high that most people would simply not be able to pay for it.
Benefits of Having Health Insurance
The most obvious benefit of having healthcare insurance is the fact that it means you can afford to pay for any treatment that you need. Unfortunately, some people, especially younger individuals, often feel that healthcare insurance is an expense they can do without. After all, they are fit and healthy and don’t need to be paying for something that they are not likely to need until they are older. But even young people can get sick, and accidents can happen to anyone, regardless of age.
Take children for example. Most will be fit and healthy and the percentage ever getting seriously ill is exceptionally low. But children quite often break bones and have other types of accidents. Surgery for a broken bone and a stay in hospital for another type of accident could run into thousands of dollars. Without insurance, you would be liable for this payment. The experts at Find-A-Code.com say that with insurance, you would only be responsible for a small portion of the medical billing. Depending on your level of cover, you might not have to pay anything at all.
An often-overlooked benefit of healthcare insurance is the fact that preventative treatments are typically fully covered. This means that you can avail of various screening tests which can detect illnesses very early. And early detection makes treatment easier and the chances of recovery higher. Routine and preventative treatment will usually include things like:
- Vaccinations, including MMR and flu shots
- yearly checkups
- scans
- law work such as blood tests.
Is Health Insurance Expensive?
Healthcare plans can be expensive and, as already mentioned, this is why many young people will avoid getting insured. A private healthcare plan will usually mean a monthly payment but paying this will give you peace of mind should you or your family members become ill. A monthly premium is likely to be far more manageable than paying for the cost of expensive treatment were it to arise.
Something to bear in mind when it comes to healthcare insurance is the fact that these plans often do not cover the entire amount of treatment. The more expensive plans may cover more of the medical bill, but there may also be some restrictions in place in terms of which doctors and facilities are used.
There are many different types of healthcare plans available, and you can choose which plan you want to pay for. However, you cannot tailor a plan to suit your requirements, and you cannot choose what a plan does and does not cover.
Something to also bear in mind is that while plans must now cover pre-existing conditions, there is often a waiting time of twelve months or more before you can make a claim for treatment for a condition you already had before you bought your plan.
Conclusion
The cost of healthcare in the United States is extremely high and this makes healthcare insurance particularly important. Most people would find themselves in extreme financial difficulty were they to get ill or have an accident that required treatment and they did not have insurance.
Nonetheless, the cost of insurance can be quite high, and most plans do not cover everything, leading many people to forego it.
