Is Affordable Health Insurance just a Myth?
Author: JoeBoyd Total views: 10 Word Count: 485
Health care costs in the United States have risen far faster than has the ability of the average American consumer to pay them. Unless you are fortunate enough to have an employer who still pays for your health insurance, you may have to pay as much as $500 a month in order to be covered in the event of a catastrophic illness. If you need a long stay in the hospital, you will be faced with thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical expenses; not including the cost of medications, which are also on the rise.
Despite government incentives in the form of tax breaks to promote affordable health insurance for small business employees in group plans, few employers have availed themselves of this option. It's simply too expensive. Small business owners are already strapped and the tax breaks offered don't measure up.
This has left consumers in a bad situation. If you have to pay for your own health insurance, this can often literally mean having to choose between food and health insurance. In this country, there really is no such thing as affordable health insurance. You may well have to declare bankruptcy if you have to pay for a medical emergency.
If your income is at or under the poverty line, you may qualify for a form of affordable health insurance. In most states, federally funded programs exist which can provide medical coverage for serious illnesses or injuries. While you will receive lifesaving care, you will not be able to receive procedures which would be available to persons with full coverage. The premiums for these plans are on a sliding scale and are based on household income and size. These programs do provide something like affordable health insurance, but do not provide what anyone would really term quality health care.
Recent cuts in health insurance funding have been characterized by a reduction in what are deemed necessary services. For example, in 2006, the Feds required State agencies to cut their health care costs by a certain percentage. States responded by making cuts in a rather arbitrary manner. Dental services were cut to emergency services only. At the same time, the current administration notified the VA to cut dental funding to Vietnam vets, so that Iraq war vets could receive treatment. This directive resulted in Vietnam vets, with crumbling teeth due to the effects of Agent Orange, removing their own teeth with a pair of pliers. They had no other choice. Such a failed health insurance program is a disgrace to our nation.
Affordable health insurance is something which many of us are thinking about, particularly with a Presidential election almost upon us. This is a rich nation; there is no reason we cannot provide health care for every citizen. All Americans must demand that government stop paying lip service to this important national issue and give the health care to every American, regardless of income that they deserve.
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