Affordable Health Insurance

According to a Poll conducted by Zogby International back in August 2004, 17% of Americans feel affordable health insurance was one of President Bush's greatest failures.  The 2000 Census also tells us that 45 million Americans have no health insurance.

To make matters worse, if you work for a small business, then chances are your employer doesn't provide adequate health insurance.  All these facts point to one simple conclusion: affordable health insurance is a very real problem in the United States.

Affordable Health Insurance Facts

The Council for Affordable Health Insurance has also conducted polls that show 82% of Americans stated that they would be likely to purchase a health insurance policy across state lines if they were paying very high rates, and needed access to more affordable health insurance policies.

Forecasts continue to project that health care costs will experience double digit increases for the foreseeable future; even though the underlying inflation trend appears to be dramatically slowing.  We have consensus among health insurance experts that a significant number of Americans do not have health insurance.

Affordable Health Care Insurance Developments

But could there be hope on the horizon?  The House Education and Workforce Committee is working to bring affordable health care to America's families.  The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Small Business Health Fairness Act, a measure that will drastically expand access to health coverage for uninsured families across the country.

Small Business Health Fairness Act

The Small Business Health Fairness Act created a new type of health insurance group called Association Health Plans (AHPs).  These new health insurance groups allow small business owners to group together, via these associations, and purchase quality health care insurance for workers and their families at an affordable cost.

Medicare Prescription Drug Program

Back in December of 2003, Congress started the ball rolling on a comprehensive Medicare prescription drug program that was aimed at providing Medicare recipients with affordable prescription drug insurance.  This plan is now in place, and is known as Medicare Part D.

The move towards securing affordable prescriptions for Medicare recipients came as a result of research findings indicating that many Medicare beneficiaries did not have outpatient prescription drug insurance.  These patients were paying as much as 20% more than patients with health insurance coverage.  The addition of Medicare Part D was introduced via what is termed the Medicare Modernization Act.

Affordable Health Insurance for Families

There is also a nationwide effort to offer children throughout the United States a low cost, or no cost, health insurance plan.  InsureKidsNow resulted from research findings that suggested that 11 million children have no access to affordable health insurance.

More worrisome is the fact that 6 million children and their families don't realize they are eligible for this low cost or no cost health insurance.  The program is funded with $24 billion in federal money and administered through state-run health care agencies.

You can find out if you qualify for this important health care program by calling this toll free telephone number - 1-877-KIDS-NOW.  This toll free number will provide you with the contact information of the agencies running this health care program in your particular state.

Health Care Savings Accounts

Another effort to bring more affordable health care to homes and families was through the creation of Health Savings Accounts, which were previously known as Medical Savings Accounts.  These health care accounts were first made available to workers in 1996.

Today, more than 2.5 million American families take advantage of health care savings accounts in an attempt to make the costs of health care a little more affordable.  Where offered by employers, health care savings accounts allow workers to contribute to a health care account on a before-tax basis.  Money in these accounts can then be used to pay health care deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for health care costs and prescription drugs.

Final Words on Affordable Health Care

As rich and blessed as the United States is, this one simple fact still remains: there is no true system that provides all Americans with access to affordable health care insurance.  That's an unfortunate situation for a country as prosperous as America.

If you work for a small business, receive Medicare, or work for an employer that provides a health care savings account, then at least you have access to a program that makes health care a bit more affordable.  The InsureKidsNow program ensures that all children have access to health care assistance.

Unfortunately if you don't fall into one of the groups mentioned above, then you may not have access to affordable health care insurance.  When that happens, you run the risk of medical costs driving you to the brink of bankruptcy.  That's something that should not happen in a country as rich as the United States.

About the Author - Affordable Health Insurance

Bill Sharlow is the Editor of Money-Zine.com.  Copyright © 2004 - 2010 Money-Zine.com