If you ask a friend, neighbor, and even a co worker if they have health insurance it is almost guaranteed that at least one will answer no. In today’s society health insurance is not necessarily viewed as an essential especially when compared to paying the mortgage, putting gas in the car, and feeding our children.
There are a few reasons why health insurance is not a priority. The first is cost. If you Google health insurance you are bound to get dozens of hits, all links to websites promising to be affordable. In reality when you consider the average household size and coverage some families look at paying hundreds of dollars a month. When you factor that into a families budget it doesn’t leave much for other things.
Some employers offer coverage, but even in most of those cases the cost to the employee is well above what can be adequately budgeted for. The second is unemployment. The economy is currently in a recession, and that has hit the job market significantly. More people are on unemployment then ever before. Health insurance for most of these people is not an option. Unemployment barely covers living expenses, and health insurance is not considering a living expense. And the last is cutbacks in public programs.
The recession hasn’t just hit the average person, it has also hit public programs. Governments are struggling with budgets cuts, and that sometimes gets passed down to the programs that help many people. The cutbacks mean they can take less people then before, and give less handouts to those currently enrolled. Overall there are many contributing factors to why so many people don’t have health insurance. It is going to take time for the economy to rebound, and education for the average American to understand what coverage options work best for them.
Thought scattered
