There are many reasons or events for why you may want to start looking into purchasing a health insurance plan. Health insurance is a preventative form of coverage in case of an emergency or event in which you may need to seek medical attention. We’ve compiled the top 3 reasons why you may need health insurance.
#1: Emergency Room Visits
Did you know that there are 129.8 million emergency room visits each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. UC San Francisco examined a range of reasons people may need to visit an emergency room and the average out of patient cost ranges anywhere from $4 to $73,000. Going to the ER for in the event that you may have a kidney stone had a median cost of almost $3500. That’s one expensive kidney stone without health insurance coverage.
#2 Preventative Care Screenings
In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control stated Americans use their preventive services at half the recommended rate. All health insurance plans on the marketplace must offer preventative services that do not charge you coinsurance or a copayment. Through your insurance coverage, you can benefit from a variety of preventative care services including: blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening, diabetes (Type 2) screening, certain immunizations, yearly physicals, and more. Utilize these benefits and protect yourself from longer term health problems. In addition, these preventative services can help you recognize health issues that may need immediate medical attention.
#3 Average Cost of a Doctor’s Visit
Insurance helps decrease the costs of doctor’s visits either by charging a copayment or out of pocket costs until you reach your deductible. In 2011, the average cost to see a doctor without health insurance for 15 minutes was $104. For a complex medical problem that required at least 30-40 minutes of consultation, the average cost was $238. Keep in mind that not all doctor’s prices are the same so the cost could be more or less depending on the physician you are seeing and the services you seek. Still, the cost of a $50 copayment is half of the $104 payment without insurance.
So why should you get health insurance? The bottom line is that health insurance is a preventative payment to help protect you and your family in the event of an emergency. Health insurance protects you from financial debt in case you have to visit the emergency room, seek immediate medical attention that could have been prevented, and pay for annual doctor’s visits.