When you think about health insurance, you may understandably think about the drain that high premium payments, deductibles and co-pays have on your budget. Health insurance is designed to make it more affordable for individuals to obtain the healthcare services they need, but many otherwise healthy individuals are wondering if they should cancel coverage to save money and take their chances. After all, insurance costs may seemingly be high. There are several good reasons why it makes sense to start getting health insurance quotes today.
Serious Health Issues Can Develop at Any Time
You may be healthy today, but this could change at any time. Many people have heard about stories where individuals suddenly become severely ill or injured and require surgeries, hospitalization and more. Tens of thousands of dollars or more in medical bills could be racked up without notice over the course of a few days. Even younger and seemingly healthy adults could run into health issues at any time. You are taking a huge risk if you decide to cancel your coverage.
You Could Experience Financial Devastation
Emergency room care, an ambulance ride, surgeries, therapy, hospitalization and more may be required with no advance notice. When you are ill or injured, the last thing that you want to think about is how much money the services and treatments will cost you. Nobody wants to be faced with thousands or tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills. You also do not want to debate between getting the services and treatments that you truly need or opting out because of your finances. Such medical expenses could force you into bankruptcy in some cases.
You May Not Have Access to the Healthcare Services You Need
Without health insurance, some services that you need may not be affordable for you to obtain. For example, you may need physical therapy to fully recover from a sports injury or from surgery. However, without insurance, you may not be able to pay for this type of treatment. This is only one of many examples of how health services and treatments could be inaccessible to you without coverage.
You May Not Find Affordable Prescription Medications
Most health insurance plans also have a prescription medication component. Some prescriptions may cost hundreds of dollars for a single round or for a month’s worth of pills. Many people need to take multiple medications regularly or because of a sudden onset condition. You can see that your prescription drugs can could an astronomical amount without health insurance benefits.
Some Coverage Provides Additional Benefits
If you choose your health insurance plan wisely, you may notice that your coverage gives you complimentary well-checks for the whole family each year. Through these appointments, underlying health conditions could be identified early. This free service could therefore help you to stay as healthy as possible.
You May Have Access to Free Phone Triage Services
Another free service that you may have access to is a phone triage service. Many people need immediate access to a healthcare professional so that they know if an issue is serious and how to act. If your insurance plan gives you access to nurse triage services free of charge, you can potentially improve your health or save money.
It May Be Cheaper Than You Think
Some people equate health insurance with expensive costs, but there are a wide range of coverage plans available for you to choose from. While you may have to search through plans and read coverage details, it may be possible to find a health insurance plan that is affordable for you to buy and that potentially could save you a sizable amount of money over the course of a year.
Buying health insurance may seem cost-prohibitive to some people, and it may seem pointless for others who are healthy right now. However, there are numerous reasons why it makes sense to buy coverage. You can search for plans that most closely meet your needs today.