Health Insurance and Access to Health Care

¶ … access to health insurance important to our health? What are the consequences for the American health care system when significant numbers of people go without health insurance?

'Not my problem.' It is easy for Americans with health insurance to take such an attitude about the nearly 47 million Americans, or 16% of the population without health insurance ("Facts about healthcare -- Health Insurance Coverage," 2008, NCHC). But all Americans suffer when so many Americans are uninsured, or under-insured, or lack access to basic healthcare. Sick Americans take more leave from work, resulting in a loss of productivity. They are more likely to spread ailments -- or to wait to go to a doctor until they are critically ill, and thus place more of a financial burden upon the nation. Individuals without health insurance must often pay 'up front' for health care, and if they are unable to do so, they resort to the Emergency Room, where they cannot be turned away. About 20% of uninsured Americans (as opposed to 3% with coverage) use the emergency room as their primary care facility ("Facts about healthcare -- Health Insurance Coverage," 2008, NCHC). This results in longer wait times at ERs for individuals with genuine medical emergencies requiring immediate attention, and also increased costs, as ER care is more expensive than routine procedures conducted at a physician's office.

Children are also suffering from being uninsured or under-insured, resulting in a less healthy, and often less well-educated future population. Children without insurance often go without usual check-ups and basic preventative care of insured children. They take more sick days from school and are more likely to spread communicable illness to healthy children. In 2005 8.3 million -- or 11.2% of all children in the U.S. were uninsured ("Facts about healthcare -- Health Insurance Coverage," 2008, NCHC).