The Need for Health Insurance

Many people, especially those relatively young and in good health, are often reluctant to pay the premiums for health insurance. The feeling seems to be that health insurance is not a priority and that it can be put off to another day.

This type of thinking is a form of gambling. Those who put off purchasing health insurance are gambling with both their health and with their pocketbook. While it may seem that not paying for health insurance premiums would be a savings, the truth of the matter is that even someone in excellent health can still be struck be a sudden illness or they can be struck down by an accident.

Without some form of health insurance, without protection against a catastrophic event, even a young and healthy person can find his or her lifesavings – and then some – wiped away in the blink of an eye due to an unexpected illness or an accident.

Two different studies have also reported that people without health insurance die younger than people who have health coverage. The reason is simple. Those with health insurance tend to visit a doctor at the onset of a problem while those without insurance tend to put off seeing a doctor until the problem becomes worse. Unfortunately people without insurance often wait too long.

Health insurance, it turns out, is a good bet no matter what your age. Even a policy with a high deductible – and therefore lower monthly premium – can be a lifesaver if there is a catastrophic illness or accident that would otherwise devastate a person’s life savings and still leave them unable to pay for all of the medical care that they need.

Not having health insurance is a bad bet and could be crippling to both your health and to your pocketbook.