For many people, getting sick, injured, or hurt is not something they plan for or even want. However, the reality is that even the healthiest individual can get sick, or get injured. When this happens, how do you pay off the medical bills? This is where health insurance becomes necessary.
Medical insurance is usually meant to cover the cost of an individual’s treatment when they are ill or injured. Usually, these bills can be either paid off by the patient who is then reimbursed by the insurance company or the insurance company will pay the health institution directly.
Yet, in spite of these obvious benefits, about 44 million Americans do not have health insurance while another 38 million have inadequate coverage. This means that about one in three Americans will not be able to get the proper care they need if anything happens to their health. This is worrisome. The importance of having medical insurance cannot be underestimated at all.
Prolonged Life Span
Studies carried out by researchers at Harvard Medical School have showed that there is a considerable link between inadequate or absent health insurance and higher chances of death. This is not surprising seeing as access to health insurance can be the difference between someone getting an important surgery or treatment protocol and him forfeiting it and losing his life in the process.
Access to Preventive Health Care
Preventive health care is still the best type of health care. This is often available to people who have health insurance. With the right health insurance coverage, mothers can often get their children the necessary vaccinations, people can go for routine check-ups that will further increase the chances of the spotting any possible medical conditions earlier.
Not just that, now that insurance companies are actively informing their clients about where they can get useful diagnostic screening services like colonoscopies, prostate checks, and mammograms, their customers can get these screenings, further improving their chances of survival and treatment success if any condition is found.
Most times early detection is essential for surviving illnesses like cancer and can tilt the odds in their favor. Research has showed that those with health insurance often stand a better chance against potentially terminal illnesses than those who do not.
Getting Adequate Medical Care When Necessary
There’s nothing better than getting treatment when you need it. This is what helps many people live long. Without insurance, you could delay any necessary procedures while it gets worse and eventually lose your life, become disabled, or have a lower quality of life. With medical insurance coverage, however, this does not have to be the case. You get your treatment when necessary, thus effectively nipping any illness in the bud.
Lower Medical Costs
When people delay medical treatment because they do not have the funds at the time, it often results in higher treatment costs when they eventually have the money to get the care that they need. With your health insurance coverage, however, you can quickly start treatment when you should. This will often result in lower medical costs compared to when treatment is delayed, and the condition gets worse.
Early Diagnoses and Better Outcomes
Sometimes, the difference between surviving an illness and losing one’s life or becoming disabled is the time of the diagnosis. Early diagnosis is important for illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and kidney failure. If detected early, one stands a better chance of surviving them through early treatment protocols and effective management procedures.
If you still don’t have medical insurance coverage or have been sitting on the fence about it, it is still not too late to have one. Get it today and protect yourself and your loved ones from much heartache and regret.
Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/uninsured.html
http://www.pnhp.org/excessdeaths/health-insurance-and-mortality-in-US-adults.pdf
The writer, Oscar King, is a writer focused on health topics, and of course remembers the importance of making sure you are covered in the event of an unexpected accident or other disaster. For those who need health insurance now, he highly recommends paying a visit to www.insuranceland.org.
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