Being Uninsured Essay

The main function for health care financing is to pay for health insurance premium and reimburse health providers for services delivered. Still, there is a crucial challenge when creating health insurance plans, provide coverage for “health care needs without encouraging unnecessary spending.” (Maas) Over time, health care financing has been evolving, and now consumers can acquire health insurance through government programs like Medicare, which it is for the elderly, for certain individuals with disabilities and end-stage renal disease. Therefore, any person who meets the requirements can enroll to this program. Also, there is Medicaid, which it is the program for the poor, and Children’s Health Insurance Program best known as CHIP, which insure kids who come from low-income families. Nonetheless, there are several types of private insurance like self-insured plans, individual private health insurance, Medigap, and group insurance program, which it is “… a substantial number of people in the group will purchase insurance through its sponsor.” (Shi, 2019, p. 224) Further, thanks to the diversity and wide range of health insurance

Financial burdens greatly limit the system’s accessibility; however, many in the U.S. are unable to fully utilize either option. Census estimates from 1999 indicate that 43 million Americans live without health insurance even though 75 percent of them have a full-time job or live in a household with at least one member working full-time (Mueller, , 5) In addition to the totally uninsured, census estimates also reveal that approximately 42 million other people in the U.S. are underinsured. This means that they have some insurance, but are still unable to afford all of their needed prescriptions, tests, visits to physicians, or hospital

In addition to those who are unemployed, you also have the Americans that are employed and still uninsured. These Americans either choose not to have health insurance or they are still unable to afford it. I have been there, I had to choose more money on my paycheck over having health insurance. For most, being uninsured is not a choice, insurance is simply unaffordable. In an article on The Economic Impact Of The Uninsured it states that “eighty percent of uninsured people are employed, or live in a home where a family member is employed. Their plight has nothing to do with a slow economy” (Knowledge@Emory). More young Americans look at insurance as a luxury not a necessity. However, when the unknown happens then these young people are faced with an enormous

Who are these people without health insurance? “Everyone I know is insured”. Of the twelve people randomly quick-polled in a Hartwick College dormitory, only two answered that they knew someone who was uninsured. Granted, they are “rich” college students. Many of them have never been exposed to people who wouldn’t have the money to pay for insurance, right? Wrong. The National Rural Health Association reports that “nearly eight in ten uninsured Americans have family incomes above the poverty level” (NRHA 2).

As of 2008, there are approximately 73.9 million children living in the United States. Of these children more that 5.5 million have some form of mental or physical disability. In addition, 77 percent of uninsured children come from low-income families (CoverTheUninsured.org, 2008). However, Missouri’s population of uninsured children fares much better at almost half the national average or 7.2 percent (Missouri Foundation for Health, 2004). More than 8 million children in America are uninsured. That means 1 out of every 10 does not have any form of health coverage. Racial and ethnic disparities among those uninsured children are dramatic. Most recent data has found that one in 13 White children is uninsured compared to: one in five American Indian children, one in six Latino children, one in nine African American children, one in nine Asian/Pacific Islander children. (Children’s Defense Fund, 2010)

Some of the reasons some of the individuals may not want to buy health insurance the deductibles and premiums are very high and you pay way to much money for it. You also have to qualify for private health insurance.

Nearly 48 million Americans had no health care coverage in 2005, and the number will

Vulnerable populations is a term that creates an image of distinct and narrow-minded minority though the vulnerability of every individual to illness, disease, and injury has made health insurance necessary and probable for a huge portion of the American population. Vulnerable populations in the United States includes parents and children of immigrants, race/ethnic minorities, the disabled poor, the elderly, foster children, families ineligible for welfare, prison inmates and former offenders, children with special care needs, and residents of rural areas. However, the uninsured population has developed to become one of the vulnerable populations in the United States because of the risks and dangers associated with the lack of health insurance. As a result of the increased of the number of the uninsured, they have a huge financial impact on the vulnerable population.

However, “nearly two-thirds of the uninsured children in the United States remain eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, but are not enrolled” (Wachino & Weiss, 2009, p. 3). An estimated, “7.5 million children in the United States are uninsured, and 60% to 70% are eligible for public insurance” (Long et al., 2014, p. e788). Many children meet the requirements and eligibility for health care insurance; however, a large percentage of children are still left uninsured. This is problematic because if millions of children are uninsured, it increases their chances of illness and will have a negative impact on their growth and development. The policy needs to be re-evaluated so that more children are insured and receive access to preventative and primary care. It is crucial that children have access to healthcare coverage and, states do not create unnecessary stringent criteria for eligibility; consequentially will decrease the coverage for low income children and families (Miskell & Alker,

In a study entitled " Who are the Remaining Uninsured and Why Haven't They Signed Up for Coverage?" there were factors identified that attributes to higher rates of uninsured groups. The factors are as follows: the ACA's exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the coverage expansion; the lack of Medicaid expansion in 19 states; less awareness of marketplaces in some demographic groups; concerns about affordability and eligibility; difficulty selecting plans during the enrollment process, and lack of assistance in selecting

In the United States, the number of uninsured continue to increase everyday with no solution. "As of today the number of uninsured American remained at 10.9 % in the fourth quarter of 2016"(Holahan, 2017). In today economy where unemployment is at an all time high, millions of peoples are without insurance due to unemployment. There are also a lot of uninsured American that are employed, that can't afford insurance.

I. More than 43 million Americans reported being uninsured throughout 2002 and millions more lack coverage for shorter periods. The lack of insurance negatively affects not only the uninsured, but their families, the communities in which they live, and the country as a whole (The Institute of Medicine).

From the Table 4, it is noted that the children under 15 and the people who have completed their Bachelor’s degree or higher holds the highest percentage of 94.7 among the people who are insured. The people who have some college or less than a 4-year degree are the second highest among the insured people with 91.2 percentage. On the other side, the people who don’t have a high school diploma are noted for holding the highest percentage of 14.6 among the uninsured people and the people have completed a high school or equivalent are the second highest among the uninsured people with 12.1 percentage.

Data was taken from the Central Texas Region and 3 tables were drawn breaking down the factors of health and income. The evidence suggest that for Central Texas residents surveyed making $35,000 or less had a higher percentage of being uninsured. This correlates with economic status and jobs such as blue collar workers as opposed to those white collar occupations, specifically those in the community averaging a yearly income of $15,000 - $35,000 had no health care coverage of approximately 30%. Upon further analyzing the second graph the number 1 reason the community suggested at 30% for not having health care coverage

According to Addy & Wright, with children under the age of 18, twelve percent of low-income families and eleven percent of poor families are without health insurance. Out of the 12% of those children living in low-income families, 3.7 million are without insurance. According to the