Did you know that an estimated 30.1 million of American adults under the age of 65 lack health insurance? Most of these people worry about the cost, while others don’t see the benefit since they feel healthy.
Regardless of your health situation, the advantages of health insurance far outweigh the risks to your finances and health if you skip out on it. After all, lacking insurance can leave you unprepared if a major illness impacts you and lead to even more problems to worry about.
Five Benefits of Health Insurance
1. Health Insurance Offers Peace of Mind
No matter what age you are, having peace of mind is one of the best benefits of health insurance. Hopefully, you won’t have an emergency where you need to use your insurance for a major expense. But if you do have an accident or get an unfortunate diagnosis, you will have options to get care promptly rather than hold off until your health suffers more.
2. You’ll Save on Healthcare Costs
While you might not like having to pay health insurance premiums, you can ultimately save a lot of money, especially if you have a major health event or chronic condition. However, you will want to pay attention to any cost sharing and your deductible.
For instance, your insurance usually gives you access to much cheaper medications and tests. And if you need to see a specialist who may charge $500 for a visit, you can often pay just a small copay each time.
Since health insurance plans have a maximum out-of-pocket expense, you won’t have to worry about a major surgery costing beyond that.
3. Preventative Care Usually Comes Free
Most health insurance plans offer numerous free services that help you stay healthy and catch problems earlier. These include
- doctor visits
- tests
- medications
For example, you can usually have a free wellness visit once a year and get screened for conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Vaccines for the flu, hepatitis, pneumonia, and other conditions often come free too. Since free services can vary by age and gender, you can check a prospective insurance plan’s documents to learn more about preventative care benefits.
4. Your Health Will Benefit
When you lack health insurance, you may avoid the doctor even if you feel really sick and thus threaten your health further. After all, the thought of a large bill can hurt anybody in a tight financial situation.
Having health insurance helps keep you healthier since you’re more likely to establish a relationship with a doctor. Knowing a hospital bill won’t bankrupt you will also help you respond to health emergencies promptly.
Health insurance can also give you access to special programs for healthier living. You can first check if your employer offers insurance options. Otherwise, you can get check the national health insurance marketplace or request health insurance quotes from insurance companies directly. You could even qualify for free coverage if you have a low income.
