Health Insurance

The current state of health care in this country is a leading issue in nearly every household. And having adequate health insurance to protect themselves and those they love is one of the fundamental worries nearly every American today is facing.

According to a 2009 report, one out of every three Americans below the age of 65 didn't have health insurance during some part of the previous two years. That's a total of 86.7 million people, cites the study's sponsors--Families USA. This number far exceeds that which the U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2007 (a comparably “meager” 45.7 million).

About three-fourths of those Americans lacked health insurance for a period of at least six months, and nearly two-thirds were uninsured for at least nine months. Perhaps the most startling of all these statistics, however, is that four out of every five uninsured Americans over the past two years belonged to working families.

The sad and simple fact is that people who don’t have health insurance are far less likely to have a doctor they see regularly for routine check-ups and potentially life-saving screenings.

Health care reform is an obvious and necessary part of today’s political agenda. But it can’t be left up to the politicians alone. Uninsured individuals and families must find ways to make obtaining decent health insurance a top priority. And employers must do the same for their workers.

Almost as severe and prevalent a problem too is the vast number of Americans who are underinsured. As too many Americans are finding out the hard way, not having enough health insurance can often be as bad for their health (so to speak) as not having any health insurance at all.

So what can you do? Writing your congressperson compelling them to take up the cause of health care reform is one step. Talking with your employer about improving company health benefits is another. And in the meantime, searching online for the best health insurance quotes you can find so that you and your family are properly covered in case of an emergency (and more, to prevent the possibility of any health crises occurring in the first place) is paramount.