Affordable Health Insurance: Yeah Right

Today, health care costs in America are patently ridiculous for the average wage earner. Unless you are lucky enough to have employer-paid health insurance, you can easily shell out $500 a month to protect you in the case of a life-threatening event such as cancer or a massive heart attack. Should you require an extended hospital stay, you can expect your bill to amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care, not to mention ongoing requirements of prescription medication costs which may amount to hundreds of dollars for a single prescription, which you need to refill every month.

Government incentives are now available to small businesses. These tax breaks were intended to induce small businesses to offer group health plans, but few have taken these up. It is just too expensive for most small business owners - the tax breaks do not cover the extra expense involved.

As a result, it is the American citizenry who are left in the lurch. Having to pay for one's own health insurance can mean having to choose between food and insurance coverage. There is almost no such thing as affordable health insurance in this country anymore. If you have a serious medical situation, you might have to declare bankruptcy as a result.

If your income is at or under the poverty line, you may qualify for a form of affordable health insurance. In most states, federally funded programs exist which can provide medical coverage for serious illnesses or injuries. While you will receive lifesaving care, you will not be able to receive procedures which would be available to persons with full coverage. The premiums for these plans are on a sliding scale and are based on household income and size. These programs do provide something like affordable health insurance, but do not provide what anyone would really term quality health care.

There have been many cuts in federally funded health care under the current administration. Many services one considered essential have been dropped entirely or severely curtailed. In 2006, the federal government ordered state agencies to reduce costs, which they did by making relatively arbitrary cuts in medical services. Dental care, for instance was reduced to only emergency coverage. The administration also eliminated dental care for Vietnam veterans to care for Iraq war veterans instead. This has led to the disgraceful situation of Vietnam vets, their teeth damaged from Agent Orange, being forced to pull their own teeth with pliers! This is something which should shame us all as Americans.

Affordable health insurance is something which many of us are thinking about, particularly with a Presidential election almost upon us. This is a rich nation; there is no reason we cannot provide health care for every citizen. All Americans must demand that government stop paying lip service to this important national issue and give the health care to every American, regardless of income that they deserve.