Health Insurance 101

As it turns out, not all American workers see the need for disability insurance in the event they are injured or prevented form performing their jobs due to injury. A whopping 97% assure that they need some level of income replacement but only 37% of the same figure has protection form such. These people undermined the amount of assistance such coverage would give them in the time of need, assisting with monthly expenses and other such costs even if they are unable to perform their jobs. This might be brought on by the severe economic crunch the country is going through and the proposed changes to the health care system would allow corrections to be made and these false assumptions erased in exchange for better health care and insurance policies for everyone.

The health insurance industry through its leaders, have begun to do studies and formulate ways by which individuals can easily obtain health insurance. Everybody knows that the current financial crunch in the US has people scrambling for all they can with their meager incomes. The problem, even middle class citizens cannot afford health insurance which makes it more difficult for them due to excessively high health costs. Without health insurance, many people are helpless against the ravages of disease and illnesses. The industry itself has initiated a move to make it easier, cheaper and even give access for those who have pre-existing conditions that used to have been denied coverage altogether.

There is a common belief that couples who have one member staying at home contributes only to the working side of the family without any bearing on the financial status of the family as a whole, wrong. The rising costs of health care and other basic necessities is enough o warrant the acknowledgement of stay-at-home spouses for they do influence the standing of the family financially by having to forego with daycare. Daycare for kids is a very costly investment and staying at home does indeed save a lot in your family’s financial obligations. This gives credence that the home is still the best place to start saving money which many must see and accept.

The problem started when hospitals became big business, coupled with tie-up’s with more and more drug firms who give finances and equipment for research and development of new products, hospitals have become a very expensive business indeed. When the economy went on the rocks, these high-tech hospitals and all their expensive equipment had to do something or risk losing their edge over the next-door hospital so they raised prices. Prices that were so high, only a few could afford them. Even Medicaid was now being denied access to some of the most advanced and effective treatment centers in the whole US. They don’t support them due to the very expensive prices they charge so people seeking specialist care are left to pay out of their own pockets without insurance coverage.

The Bush administration has boosted the weak coverage of health care for children to new heights with new legislation. The revision of the insurance system for children makes health care for children better giving it more scope and lowering costs which is foreseen as a needed boost to the already troubled health care system in the US. The federal government hopes to infuse much needed cash into the weak children health care system increasing tobacco taxes once again to fuel the move. The State Children’s Insurance Program hoping to give those who are getting enough income to avail of Medicaid privileges but still cannot afford private insurance. The said improvement is targeted to affect at least 10million children in all US sates.

The questions industry leaders are asking has to do with the lack of comparison data or tangible studies which conclude the proposal as a viable one the federal government can handle. The Federal Reserve has already buffered the economy several times to avoid sending it into a spin that can affirm that recession is indeed in effect within the US. Politicians and public citizens alike would like to see results from studies that would confirm these proposals (which she has been making since they started campaigning) and which she has used as her main platform for the election process. Whether she wins or not, some opt not to hear anything about the matter, yet some wish these politicians can place their money where their mouths are.

Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, proposes to set caps on the prices of premiums to enable more people to afford health care. This is raising questions and eyebrows with the current financial crisis in the US that has gas prices soaring, and people unable to pay for their mortgages. She proposes a cap of around 10 % of their income which has insurance industry experts worried for it would leave them vulnerable to the fluctuations in the financial markets. Major insurance firms have already started cancelling and informing clients of non-renewal of policies for homes and the move can affect the life insurance industry as well.

If improvement was minimal, it was still accessible compared to the number of Americans who cannot afford health care. This is a very nice success story for legislation that made a difference, pissing people off at first yet silencing their cries with better services and benefits. Tough legislation shows the resolve of public officials to maintain the competitiveness and authority of their offices who are left to decide for the general public. Many of their constituents even cried foul and vowed to send complaints and counter any moves that seeks support for the increased costs of health insurance but in the end, all parties involved got what they wanted

In the UK that is, where the health care system has received a re-make ahead of the financial crisis caused by the US sub-prime lending market. These reforms were abhorred by some and even hated by others when they were put in place but we continued on. Today, the extra money people had to pay for their health insurance has impacted for the better the health care system and even the School Department which had a budget deficit of around $6 million last year. Property taxes were spared much to the relief of homeowners and people are getting better healthcare options that before.

The crisis that exists in the financial market is being felt all over the world with markets tumbling and insurance costs rising to unprecedented heights. This has left most Americans without health insurance simply because they cannot afford it and worse, even they do not qualify for government funded healthcare insurance programs due to excessive financial burdens. There are currently 47 million people, 9 million of whom are children, do not have health insurance leaving them vulnerable when medical emergencies do strike. The problem is so extreme with Hispanics and African Americans who work in low paying jobs that barely gives them enough to survive. These people who float in between the free care criteria and the ability to purchase private insurance are left hanging, literally, without the necessary financial buffering given by health insurance.