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.

This leaves citizens in the lurch. If you are forced to pay your own insurance premiums, you may well find yourself in the position of choosing between eating and being insured. Frankly, there is no such thing as affordable health insurance. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a costly medical emergency, you may have to go bankrupt in order to stay alive.

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.

With a Presidential election just around the corner, affordable health insurance is on the minds of many. This is a nation which can afford to care for all of its citizens and needs to do so rather than merely giving lip service to this important issue. All Americans deserve health care, no matter what their income level.