Uninsured In America – The Growing Number of Americans Without Health Insurance

Even a couple of years ago, before the economy started to sour, 46 – 48 million Americans lacked health insurance. With the current economic downturn, an estimated 4 million more US citizens have lost their medical plan, so now have probably brought the number up over 50 million.

Reasons that so many Americans lack insurance are obvious, but here are some common ones:

• Terminated employees lost their group health plan when they lost their jobs. They may, or may not, be entitled to a COBRA extension of their company group plan. But in any case, the extension comes with a hefty price tag as now, the unemployed person must usually pay the entire premium without any company contribution.
• Many more businesses are scaling back, or totally eliminating, group health plans as they struggle to cut expenses.
• Health insurance premiums keep rising every year, making it even tougher to pay premiums. Many Americans have to drop, or cut back, health insurance.

If you have lost your company health insurance, you do have some options. Your options may, of course, be limited by your budget, health, and where you live.

• The individual health insurance market is actually growing as more of us must buy personal or family medical plans. For health families, individual health insurance can actually be quite affordable because insurers are allowed to decline high risk individuals. An private insurance policy is also portable, and can be kept no matter where you work.
• High risk individuals, or those with health problems that would be declined by private insurers, do have a a state high risk plan. The actual plan varies by the state, and even zip code, that an individual lives in, but most come with a price tag that is considerably more than a healthy person could purchase an individual policy for.
• Low income families can turn to federal, state, or county health plans an clinics. The Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIPS) covers millions of minors in lower income families. Medicaid can cover children, adults, and even senior citizens who lack resources. Some neighborhoods also have federally funded clinics, and larger metro areas have county hospitals.

A Note On Government Funded Health Insurance For Low Income People

Many people, who could qualify for a government program, do not bother to apply because they feel stigmatized. However, they really put their health at risk if they do get sick, because they may not be able to access the best medical care.

If you cannot afford insurance for yourself, and especially for your children, remember that many other countries provide this coverage to all of their citizens. And in my experience, most Americans over 65 have no problem signing up for Medicare! They feel as if they contributed to their country during their work lives, and the senior citizen’s federal medical insurance is a benefit they earned. Unemployed people should feel the same way. They pay taxes while working just so safety nets like CHIPS and Medicaid can be funded during hard times!

Finding Individual Health Insurance

It is easier than ever to compare and apply for a family or individual health insurance plan. In fact, you can use our fast, safe, and free health insurance quote forms. You supply your basic information one time, which takes about 5 minutes, and then relax while individual insurers compete for your business. You can also get in touch with a qualified, local insurance agent who can access your individual needs and find the best health insurance for you.

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