Is Catastrophic Health Insurance the Answer for The Growing Trend of the Underinsured
More than 40 million Americans today live without medical coverage, according to www.emaxhealth.com. And this number continues to rise. Living without any type of coverage in case of an emergency can be scary. If you are looking for an insurance plan that you can afford, you may want to consider catastrophic health insurance.
How Living Without Insurance Can Affect Your Life
While it may make sense to some to avoid paying for insurance, it can actually cause more harm than good. Even though you may be healthy the majority of the time, and may be able to pay out-of-pocket for the occasional doctor visit, does not mean that you will be able to take care of emergency medical problems.
There are a couple of reasons that you may not have medical insurance:
- Your employer does not offer insurance
- You lost your job and were unable to pay the COBRA costs
- You are self-employed
- You have recently turned 18 and are now not covered on your parents medical insurance
No matter the reason, being without even a catastrophic health insurance plan can greatly affect your life. You may not experience the quality of care that you should from a hospital or health care provider, you will be saddled with thousands of dollars of medical bills, and you might even be forced to file bankruptcy to relieve your debts. Avoiding medical problems and not seeking any type of treatment because you do not have insurance may make your problems worse as well.
What a Catastrophic Health Insurance Plan Can Help With
Catastrophic health insurance is available to almost anyone, but it works best for people who are normally healthy or can afford to pay for regular doctor visits out of their own pockets. It is made to help with emergencies only.
With this type of health insurance, you can expect to have a very low monthly payment and a high deductible. Even though the deductible is higher than normal insurance, you may still save a lot when you compare it to the rising cost of medical care.
Finding Help For The Rest of Your Health Care Needs
Catastrophic health insurance may only cover emergency situations, but you may be able to find help for the rest of your health care needs. Before you sign up for an expensive full coverage insurance policy, contact your local health department and see if there are any free services available in your area for those who do not have full coverage insurance. They may be able to provide with a list of doctors, dentists, and family planning specialists who provide routine medical care to uninsured individuals in your area.
Some prescription assistance companies will help you obtain and pay for the prescriptions you need. Contact pharmaceutical companies for information or visit www.pparx.org for additional help.
Living without health insurance can be a big problem when a medical emergency occurs. To avoid having to pay the total cost of visiting a hospital, you may want to consider choosing catastrophic health insurance.