Being Uninsured Essay

Limited healthcare in the United States forces those who are too sick to get coverage are either forced to pay large medical bills or die. If those individuals were able to see a doctor more regularly, then their health could have been followed sooner. A few years ago, I was unemployed from work a battling a health issue that caused me to lose my job. Originally, I lost my health insurance and then was offered a plan through Cobra. The premium amount that I was requested was over a $1000 per month. Luckily, I was able to be add on to my husband’s plan so I could still receive treatment. When you are not able to receive healthcare even for simple situations like an antibiotic for a cold has the potential to turn into pneumonia or something worse that could cause death. As we get older, our bodies have a harder time fighting infections and we are more likely to have a serve health issue like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease; which all cause severe implications on the body that hinder both the physical and psychological development of an

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

It is not just the poverty-stricken population that can’t afford insurance. The cost of U.S. health care and insurance is out of reach even for those who do not live in what we technically classify as “poverty”. By the 2003 Federal Poverty Guidelines, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, poverty

It is estimated there are between 20,000 and 45,000 deaths a year due to lack of health insurance. “The uninsured have a higher risk of death when compared to the privately insured…”, Andrew Wilper, M.D. Isn’t that sad? There shouldn’t be long hours of waiting before a patient can be treated just because he or she is uninsured. If it is an urgent matter, then we all should get equal treatment, don’t you

bankruptcy, lose their homes and jobs due to the inability to pay such extranomical medical

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

In 2005, the federal government considered the poverty level as an annual income of approximately $20,000 for a family of four. If we consider families with incomes between 100% and 200% of the poverty level (between $20,000 and $40,000 annually), the rate of uninsured families is a staggering 33%. For families with incomes between 40,000 and 60,000 dollars annually, the uninsured rate is still about 16%. How do these figures translate into access to healthcare? In 2005, a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 31% of the uninsured had no regular source of health care, 35% postponed needed care due to lack of money and insurance, and 36% spent less on basic needs to pay for health care. Parents with children comprise about a quarter of the total uninsured population. Women are disproportionately represented – 20% of women ages 18 to 64 have no health insurance. That figure rises to 38% for Hispanic women. With such statistics, is it any wonder that we rank 46th in life expectancy and have high rates of infant mortality?

     Most of the people who are uninsured are the working poor, which the overall costs of medical care can hurt them. By the means of doing their best, these people just can’t afford the insurance. Health care has become increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals. (Reese) Premiums grow several

Someone without health coverage are less likely to receive preventative care and therefore more likely to become ill which increases medical costs, [1].

According to World Health Organization, “Universal Health Coverage means that all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship”. (WHO.int) By doing so, we give the people the opportunity to be equal to the rest of the society. Since the cost of a healthcare plan is beyond most people’s budget in the United States, the average person spends more money on healthcare insurance than groceries and housing together. This condition leads many to have no coverage at all. In fact, there are over 45 million uninsured residents in the U.S. in it

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).

With the current healthcare system in the United States there are many people who do not have health insurance due to cost.

The healthcare system says that if one pays their insurance then they should get coverage. What the healthcare system forgets to tell people is that there are premiums to pay, even when one does not need healthcare at that moment. A premium is how much someone pays a month for their healthcare coverage. Since 2005 premiums has risen to the point that it takes almost takes all of an employer’s check (Clemmitt, Universal Coverage 2). If someone is unemployed or in school they just drop healthcare all together, because it’s

According to the US Census Bureau, around 33 million people in the United States of America did not have health insurance in 2014. That is about 10.4 percent of the US population. I was fortunate enough to have insurance growing up. I remember when my father lost his job when I was quite young, my mother was very worried because he had no health insurance. He was not worried about it as much as she was, but unfortunately, he fell off his bike and fractured his knee and forearm. He was so stressed out about how he was going to pay for it because unemployment was definitely not going to help. He had to take out a loan and luckily got a job soon after so he could pay it off quickly. Many people are not able to pay off loans for medical services so quickly. We live in the richest nation on earth and we should not go without health care. It could stop medical bankruptcies, improve public health, reduce overall healthcare spending, and help small businesses. Health care should be a necessary government service. According to a 2009 study from Harvard