What to Do If You Can't Afford Health Insurance

Not too many years ago, an individual health insurance package could be purchased for less than $50 a month. I probably don't need to tell you that prices have skyrocketed since then.

A lot of Americans who were formerly covered for health insurance by their employers no longer have employers. Those who are still lucky enough to have a job may find that their employers are no longer offering the benefit of health insurance, or have cut back drastically on the amount of coverage they are willing to offer.

In addition to the loss of health insurance benefits connected to their employment, many are finding that the rising price of health insurance is making it difficult if not impossible to afford. Even senior citizens, who are covered by Medicare for hospital procedures, are also being priced out of full coverage because the supplemental insurance they need for office calls and prescribed drugs are quickly becoming too expensive for them.

We are told by our new administration that help is on the way in the form of universal health care. Many of us can remember hearing that promise many times before, but have never seen it come to pass. And, if the over-whelming cost of such health care is considered, it might not actually be the blessing that many people think it would be.

My personal opinion is that we are trying to solve the problem from the wrong direction. Instead of making sure everyone is covered by insurance by having taxpayers foot the bill for prices that have gotten out of control for drugs, for hospital care, and for care in a doctor's office, I believe more effort should be put into finding out WHY these costs are so high. If costs of treatment could be lowered, insurance costs would go down, and more people could afford to pay for their own insurance.

However, the problem we face now is a serious one and one that needs to be dealt with, now. What can we do if we suddenly find ourselves without health insurance and unable to afford to buy our own policy?

1. Take preventive measures.

A lot of illnesses can be avoided by taking care of yourself in the first place. Exercise, get plenty of sleep, and eat properly. If you know that someone has the flu or some other communicable disease, stay away from them. Bring your immunization record up to date.

2. Look for inexpensive or cost-free health care in your community.

Some cities have free clinics that are staffed by qualified doctors and nurses who volunteer their time.

Check to see if there is an "Ask-A-Nurse" number in the yellow pages of your phone book. This is a valuable service, especially if you have young children. A registered nurse will answer questions about what to do for insect bites or how to determine when an injury or other symptoms are serious enough to send you off to the doctor's office or a hospital emergency room.

Take advantage of free classes at your local hospital. Ours has a monthly newsletter listing the latest classes which at any given time may include such things as, How to Check Your Cholesterol At Home, How to Plan Reduced Fat Meals, How To Recognize The Symptoms Of Diabetes, etc. These classes are a valuable resource to citizens whether or not they are having problems with insurance coverage.

Look for free immunization days, free cholesterol checking, free blood-pressure monitoring, etc. in your community. Most Senior Citizen centers offer some of these things on a regular basis.

Check to see if your state offers a low-cost drug program. Oregon, where I live, has such a program that is free for any Oregonian to join. The program doesn't provide the drugs, but has an agreement with most pharmacies about giving discounts to particular drugs for their members. Most prescriptions are about 1/3 off the regular price under this program.

3. Get a catastrophic health insurance policy even if you can't afford full coverage.

This protection is so essential that I would even put such a policy on a credit card if necessary. If you are out of a job, it is even more important to protect yourself from the overwhelming debt that can be caused by even the simplest of operations

My husband recently had a gallbladder operation with some complications necessitating two return trips to the emergency room later, and the total bills came to over $50,000. Some people I've talked with have had bills for cancer treatment and other surgeries that ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With a catastrophic policy, you pay for the smaller things that we all face during a year, but the catastrophic policy would kick in for the huge bills. Policies differ. Some may require you to pay a minimum of $2500 or $5000 on the bill and they will pay the rest. How much better off you would be to end up owing $5000 for a heart by-pass operation than $75,000.

You are probably still saying, "But I can't afford to buy insurance." The truth is that you can't afford not to buy at least a catastrophic policy that would protect you from unexpected bills like this

4. Finally, if you can afford to buy a health insurance policy of your own, ask questions.

Questions like: What is the monthly premium? What services are covered in the basic monthly fee? Can they provide a policy at a lower cost if you choose a higher deductible amount? What kind of co-payments will you make for office calls, emergency room visits, etc.? Under what circumstances could the company raise your monthly premium? Are you restricted to certain doctors and medical facilities or can you choose your own?

Shop around and compare prices. Don't assume that because you have always had Blue Cross that they are the best program around. Ask your friends which company they use and whether or not they are satisfied.

Getting these questions answered will make it more likely that your insurance money is well-spent.