The Importance of Having Health Insurance

Health insurance comes as second nature to many of us. We grab that blue and white card and put it in our wallet and forget about it until we are sick or injured. When this happens, there it is, cushioning our fall like the extra padding it provided to cushion our wallets. This is not the case with everyone, however. Many Americans have no cushion to fall back on, no blue and white card to show the emergency room when they have an unexpected health concern. No HMO with a convenient co-pay amount when their son or daughter develops an ear infection.

In the United States of America, access to health care is a disadvantage for approximately 48 million Americans of those who do not have health insurance and millions underinsured (Parker & Thorson, 2009). Health disparities continue to deprive the nation of the need for adequate health care services and preventative care leaving a country mentally and physically disabled. There are two million Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH) people living in the America, which is the third concentrated population in the United States (U.S.) (Pick, 2013; Barnett & Franks, 2002). As of today, there is no knowledge of health care insurance coverage published to determine the number of DHOH without or underinsured. Unfortunately, lack of data to support the number of DHOH without health insurance or underinsured remains a puzzling mystery

There are approximately 35 million people in the United States who are considered deaf or hard of hearing (Culture and Empowerment in the Deaf Community). The majority of these deaf people struggle in the hearing world until they can find a connection to their deafness. They constantly

Deafness or hard of hearing, is defined by the medical society as a disability, but those who are diagnosed with the disability think otherwise. They think of themselves as a community, embrace it as an identity, or a culture with their own language, sign language, and they believe their community is being threaten. They label themselves as a minority endangered of being wiped out because of one leading cause, cochlear implants. Those serious about their ideals of their community see cochlear implants as a threat, because cochlear implants are considered as cure. Countless number of controversies over cochlear implants have been brought up, but the Deaf community should see cochlear implants as gift for patients rather than an extreme threat.

While there are many risks involved with cochlear implants, there could also be many benefits. The question that remains is, “Do the benefits of receiving a cochlear implant outweigh the risks?” Although many advances have been made scientifically to improve the effectiveness of cochlear implants, it is also important to examine the opinions of the deaf society, how a deaf person’s communication skills may develop with or without a cochlear implant, and the economic factors

For public financing of health insurance coverage of children with special health care needs, Medicaid and CHIP covered about half (48%) of all children with special health care needs in 2016 (Musumeci & Foutz, 2018). For children with chronic needs, Medicaid covers long-term care services, such as private nursing, attendant care, and assistive technology, that help children with special health care needs remain at home with their families. It also offers non-emergency medical transportation to appointments and other services for children with multiple needs (Musumeci & Foutz,

I have learned that health care insurance coverage is an important issue for all the people living in the United States. In 1915 and 1920 the State tried to coordinated government health insurance, however it never took place. In the 1930s the federal level tried to coordinated government health insurance and the same thing happen, it never took place as well. Later on in the late 1930s people who were able form a health insurance coverage so they are able to protect themselves and their family due to high cost out-of-pocket co-payment. In 1965 Social Security Act adopted Medicare and Medicaid to provide health coverage services for children and mother thought-out the United States. I realize that Medicaid is mainly for needy people to help them get the best health care and to educate them to live a long and healthy life.

To this day, medical professionals and scientists dialogue about the issue of providing cochlear implants, electronic devices to aid one’s auditory perception, to the overall deaf population (NIDCD). Some claim they should be given to deaf children and adults, while others oppose this perspective, because of vexatious burdens that supersede few benefits.

Generally speaking, you should make sure that as a minimum you have coverage for life, health and disability. Whatever coverage you already have for those things when you are at home is likely not going to cover you when you are off on a trip. Thus, if you do not have coverage for the trip, you may find that you are either turned away for medical treatment because you cannot afford it or you wind up saddled with a large bill that will take years to pay off.

A sensitive issue in the United States today revolves around the issue of human services. Is health insurance a fundamental human right or is it just a benefit for the people who can afford to pay for it? The healthcare system in the United States gives people the freedom to choose to pay for it or not. Medical services are, in fact, something people should pay for to get it.

When it comes to the medical and cultural views of deafness, it seems to be a house divided with how the doctors are quick to show parents handouts regarding how to make the person "normal," perhaps with a cochlear implant versus letting them embrace the Deaf culture. It's all about money with the medical view of deafness. Then, there is the Deaf view of deafness—they believe that they are a linguistic minority. The medical field thinks the Deaf can be fixed, but the deaf see nothing wrong with themselves.

Hearing loss is the most common physical disability in the whole wide world. In the United States alone, about 28 million people have some level of hearing impairment that interferes with their ability to understand normal speech and participate in conversations. Another 2 million cannot hear at all.

Currently, the issue of health insurance has been a bone of contention for the public regarding whether the United States government should provide this health plan or not. People often possess different perspectives and refer to pros and cons on both sides of the spectrum. While some believes a universal healthcare system will set a foundation for a lower quality of service, increasing governmental finance deficit, and higher taxes, others do not hold the same thought. A universal healthcare system brings enormous advantages rather than disadvantages, such as all-inclusive population coverage, convenient accessibility, low time cost, and affordable medical cost, all of which not only provide minimum insurance to the disadvantaged but also improve the efficiency of medical resources distribution.

According to the textbook, “Health insurance, like other forms of insurance, reduces the financial burden of risk by dividing losses among many individuals” (Kapoor, Dlabay, & Hughes, 2015 p. 373). As medical care advances and treatments increase, health care costs also increase. The purpose of health insurance is to help people pay for their care. It is considered to be a form of protection that can lessen the amount of financial burdens an individual could suffer from due to injury or illness. In some instances, like mine, health insurance can be a real pain. I am on my father’s Tricare plan, and it can be really great at times, but it also makes things difficult. For example, I injured my back this summer while I was gone for training. I

Families may decide to switch the insurance plan for their family if someone changes jobs (Boston University). When you have a low paying job they might not cover everything that would be beneficial. Also some jobs do not include certain types of insurance. For example some dentist offices only accept certain types of insurance. Some offices will not accept Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Say a person has been with this company but then they get a new job and have to switch insurance companies. They go to their doctor’s office and they do not accept the new type of insurance this person has. Now this person has to pay the full price for their visit. This can hurt many people because they might not have the money to do