Health Insurance Coverage – Why Opt For This?
As most developed countries continue to move from a manufacturing-based economy to a service economy, and employee working patterns continue to evolve, health insurance coverage has become less stable. The service sector offers less access to health insurance than its manufacturing counterparts. Further, an increasing reliance on part-time and contract workers who are not eligible for coverage means fewer workers have access to employer-sponsored health insurance.
With health insurance premiums on the rise, many small employers cannot afford to offer health benefits to their employees. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result, an increasing number of people have opted not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it.
How does being uninsured harm individuals and families?
*Lack of health insurance coverage compromises the health of the uninsured because they receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates than insured individuals.
*Regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income or health status, uninsured children were much less likely to have received a well-child checkup within the past year. Research shows that almost 50 percent of children without health insurance coverage did not receive a checkup in 2003, almost twice the rate (26 percent) for children with health insurance coverage.
*People without health insurance coverage end paying “up front” — before services will be rendered. When they are unable to pay the full medical bill in cash at the time of service, they can be turned away except in life-threatening circumstances.
*About 20 percent of the uninsured (vs. 3 percent of those with coverage) say their usual source of care is the emergency room.
*Studies estimate that the number of excess deaths among uninsured adults aged 25-64 is in the range of 18,000 a year. This mortality figure is more than the number of deaths from diabetes (17,500) within the same age group (10).
*According to one another study, over a third of people without health insurance coverage have problems paying medical bills. The unpaid bills were substantial enough that many had been turned over to collection agencies – and nearly a quarter of the uninsured adults said they had changed their way of life significantly to pay medical bills.
What additional costs are created by people without health insurance coverage?
*Its estimated that America spends nearly $120 billion per year to provide uninsured residents with health services, often for preventable diseases or diseases that physicians could treat more efficiently with earlier diagnosis.
*Hospitals provide about $35 billion worth of uncompensated care a year.
*Another $38 billion is paid by private and public payers for health services for the uninsured and $26 billion is paid out-of-pocket by those who lack health insurance coverage.
*People without health insurance coverage are 30 to 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized for an avoidable condition, with the average cost of an avoidable hospital stayed estimated to be about $3,300.
*The increasing reliance of the uninsured on the emergency department has serious economic implications, since the cost of treating patients is higher in the emergency department than in other outpatient clinics and medical practices.
Getting Everyone Health Insurance Coverage Will Save A lot of Money.
The impacts of living without health insurance coverage are severe. Many uninsured individuals postpone needed medical care which results in increased mortality and billions of dollars lost in productivity and increased expenses to the health care system.
There also exists a significant sense of vulnerability to the potential loss of health insurance which is shared by tens of millions of other people who have managed to retain health insurance coverage.
Every person should have health insurance coverage, participation should be mandatory, and everyone should have basic benefits because like we have seen above it’s benefits are awesome.
Here this nice Video about health insurance
Based on the true story of Patsy Bates, this TV ad is for anyone who has had their health insurance denied, dropped or delayed. On the eve of a national day of protest against health insurance corporations (June 18, 2008), Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo joins a number of patients outside an insurance industry convention in San Francisco, to unveil a new television advertising campaign targeting the insurers and their denial of care. The ad launches Thursday, June 19, as thousands …
Find your answer for your own question related to health insurance
Tags: ad, Association, Beth, Broderick, California, Campaign, commercial, courage, health, Insurance, jive, nurses, political, tv
Hello Beth, I hope things can get better. Please do not give up. We need universal healthcare. We must accomplish where nobody has to be uninsured, even if employer don’t offer it; even if you lost your job and can’t afford the cobra, even if you have pre-existing conditions.
Best Wishes and Bear Hugs,
Hai / Juan
I have tried to send message on your page; error occurred. I have wondered if you are still alive. I will do what I can to see that your efforts are not in vain. I plan to attend a strategy conference Nov 15 & 16.
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.
—-Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
She should go before congress like next week. I also have Blue Crap/Blue Shit, with a $1500 deductible, no doctors visits, no nothing. Basically, I have no insurance really. Every American who believes in justice should march to Congressman “Boner”‘s office in Ohio and tell him what we think of his insurance lobby representation.
This comment was intended for vendictiverep. His complaining about a dying woman’s whining is ludicrous; where is the humanity.
My Old Friend Martin said, “Of All The Forms Of Inequality, Injustice in Healthcare is the MOST SHOCKING and Inhumane.”
I am an American, but now live in Italy with my husband. Here the healthcare system is ran by the government and from seeing and living in both systems (private health care and government healthcare) the governmental health care is better. Granted, here in Italy we pay ALOT more taxes, but if you look at it compared to the cost of insurance in America it is about the same, but here you get treated. I am sorry, and saddened by your story and I wish you much luck and many more years.
This has been coming for a long time. Before Hillary Clinton was vilified in the 1990′s for supporting universal health care, my Aunt died from cancer because she quit work to marry my Uncle and was diagnosed with cancer before my Uncle’s insurance would take her on. Of course once she had cancer, no insurance company would agree to take her. And after my Aunt died, a good friend of ours died from cancer for a different reason because his insurance denied treatment to him.
My response was to vendi. If your doc refused to ist b.c he couldnt. Many docs see pts without healthcare but they cannot do it for everyone.
Been there too, but not with an issue as serious as yours…
It is the denial of claim that is the heart of the issue. It works for the insurance company as they have a denial infrastructure in place and to fight it is draining for even healthy people.
After 8 months of denial…denial, I got a insurance lawyer, he sent his ‘lawyer letter’, and the claim was accepted. The best of luck to you. Small claims court might be an answer too.
doesn’t our system suck.
but we have enough money to send overseas to fight aids in the “third world”
we have enough money to send 80 billion to Isael in military aid
we have enough money to send to everyone and their brother, but we don’t have enough to save the people that the government took the money from in the first place.
write, email your public officials….we need a national health care system
we have nationalized education, roads, parks military
Y not healthcare?
I clicked thumbs down. Knowing their damn benefits is much easier said than done. We need HR676 single-payer for all.
However, I am in agreement with you here, “Why didn’t doctors offer life saving treatment regardless of her ability to pay?” Oh, it ain’t Blue Cross? They are a business; Our lives should NEVER be business.
bc docs cannot keep giving passes to every patient.
I agree no one should have to fight an insurance company because they are supposed to serve and help their customers. You are in my prayers and I hope that you get well. It is very important to check what you policy covers and don’t cover before you buy insurance and to scout out different insurance companies that can meet your needs.
God bless you lady
Stunning Video! O_O
People that sign up for a health insurance plan should know their ***damn benefits before they whine and expect coverage for something. The Dr’s don’t give a s*** about the patients. Have you ever seen what kind of car your Dr. drives? What kind of home they live in? How come the Dr. didn’t offer to provide this so-called life saving service, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay? Hmmmm…wonder who the real devil is. It ain’t Blue Cross, and they don’t argue benefits.
what do you mean by passes? My 1st oncologist refused to give me new drugs because “the insurance company doesn’t like to pay for them”. I went from curable to terminal as a result. What pass did he give me?
Beth, You are absolutely right. But I fear the only option is replace insurance; Single-payer. Our “hack job” is a national disgrace. AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT! Every other developed nation sees it that way.
I wonder if antenioplastins might help; a non-toxic form of chemotherapy. Dr. Burzinski.
Last year we lost close friend to breast cancer. But maybe not the cancer, but mistake in radiation therapy.
docs lose money when they see ppl they dont get reimbursed for.
I’m really sorry to hear about your problems.
This really shows how messed up the health system in America is, and I hope your story helps to make a much needed change for America.
It is unbelievable that one of the riches countries in the world can treat its citizens like like this
America you should be ashamed to let this happen ,health care should be free for all not for only the people that can afford it
For someone like me from England this make no sense to me at all
I hope this lady all the best
HealthMusic, Thank you for your post. Yes, I’m still alive, still fighting the cancer. I’ve been in weekly treatment that Blue Cross continues to deny. They send 2-3 letters every week denying payment. The good news is that my daughter just graduated from college, my son from high school. I was once told I’d never make it to their graduations. Our government must force the insurance industry to provide HealthCARE or replace them altogether. What has happened to me, can happen to anyone!
Beth
Beth, Hope this finds you still alive. I am a folk singer/songwriter; advocate for affordable healthcare. If you die and life could have been saved; it’s murderers. You may inspire future song.
Support HR 676; Single Payer. NO American should go through what Beth did. There is NO excuse for this great nation to have this “hack-job” of a system.
Inspirationn of “Pirates of Health Care-ibbean.” Piracy happens among insuranc companies & drug company.
AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT! AMEN?
Ah, thanks for the explanation. Yes, some doctors not in groups can do that. My doctor is not the big expense, it’s the drugs. One cost $1800 every 3 weeks, another is $1200 each month. The doctor has no control over those costs. Sometimes people make comments that aren’t based on real experience.
Vindictive,I have just read this after nearly losing my life 2 months ago and just now stabilized only to read your post to me, how dare you accuse me of “whining” after paying for 35 years for insurance and then expecting to get ah…INSURED? My doctor is NOT the problem, she is the solution. Blue Cross DOES argue benefits,2 weeks ago they denied me Xeloda, look it up. It’s STANDARD treatment for my cancer. Once again my doctor had to spend hours fighting them instead of the cancer! Get real…
nyfletcher, I am in hearty agreement with you. You get a thumbs up from me. Nationalized education, nationalized police department, nationalized fire department, nationalized roads, nationalized parts, nationalized military. We should have Nationalized Healthcare as well. We need HR 676; a single-payer.
Please remember that I have eventually won each argument with Blue Cross because my “damn benefits” ( per Vindictive) that I paid 35 years for DID cover me. I worked for an insurance company, they delay and deny routinely. My doctor is still paying off her college loans, why should she treat patients for free when we already paid our premiums to an insurance company for coverage? This is a failure of the insurance company to provide a product I already more than paid for.