Millions of uninsured Americans could afford health insurance but either choose to be uninsured or do not know about affordable health insurance options. Education is the most cost-effective approach to address this problem.
(PRWEB) March 3, 2005 -- Late last year the federal government announced that over 11 million Americans with a family income over $50,000 have no health insurance. This report was based on 2004 census data. A new report issued February 28, 2005) by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) figure puts the number at 7.9 million. Both calculations are based on the same census data but the EBRI concludes that some sampling error distorted the government calculation. This figure is important because it generally represents the group that could afford health insurance, but either chooses to be uninsured or does not know about the affordable health insurance options that are available. This higher income group represents about a quarter of all U.S. individuals without health insurance. The overall number of middle-income individuals who could afford health insurance but do not make the decision to purchase insurance is estimated at about 20 million, or about half of all of those without health insurance.
Other previously reported data indicates that most middle-income people in this uninsured category are in a temporary life transition and are without health insurance for only a short period of time. The situation may be caused by changing jobs, graduating from school, satisfying waiting periods on group insurance, starting a business or waiting for Medicare coverage to begin. MedSave.com specializes in providing low cost temporary health insurance online to the individuals in this category. MedSave.com spends a significant part of its marketing efforts publishing educational information to show that high quality affordable health insurance options are available to most people through online enrollment services.
Regardless of the actual number of uninsured people in this group, most observers agree that it would be far less expensive to educate uninsured individuals about the options available and the risks of being uninsured than to adapt a federal program that would require that those individuals be covered by health insurance. This group is best served by educational programs about health care financing options and promotion of affordable and available health insurance plans rather than legally mandated managed health care programs.
MedSave.com points out that about half of personal bankruptcies are triggered by uninsured catastrophic medical claims but that most Americans in this risk class can purchase high deductible catastrophic health insurance for less than $100 per month that would prevent such financial disasters.
###
|
