Barriers to Health Care for the Uninsured.

Barriers to Health Care for the Uninsured.

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Barriers to Health Care for the Uninsured.Health care insurance is a way of for medical bills and health care costs. The bill is paid while one is not sick and the amount is used in time one gets sick. People in most cases may underestimate the cost of medical care. Health insurance helps one to be protected from unexpected high health costs. Most health insurance covers the bill to some extent but not all of it. Health insurance has so much importance to one’s life and the relatives of every individual. The uninsured therefore put themselves at risk of incurring high hospital costs in case of unpredicted sickness. This among other things forms barriers which one may meet while seeking health care services while uninsured (Keisler-Starkey, K. B., and Lisa N., 2020). In my research, I will look into all barriers to health care for individuals who do not have insurance cover.

Themes

The main barrier to an individual who does not have health care insurance coverage is a lack of enough finances to cater for a hospital bill in times of sickness. In most cases, sickness comes as a surprise or an accident. This means that one is never prepared financially to pay the high cost of health services. When sickness comes to one without an insurance cover, the patient, therefore, lacks health care services due to lack of enough finances to cater for the service (Wallace, S. P. et al., 2013) In the same case the family and sponsors of a sick person who does not have a health insurance cover stretch so much in times of their sick partner.

Other benefits which the uninsured do not enjoy include free routine doctor visits. In most countries like the united states, the insured enjoys free checks up which is very important to everyone’s life. The uninsured use their pocket money for these services, and in most cases, they think that the cost is low however it accumulates to a lumpsum amount at the end of the year. Also, those who do not have the cover and cannot afford the frequent checkup, end up missing the checkup. This significantly means that their health status continues to be compromised

The uninsured are also at risk of going for the cheapest form of treatment. As it is said, cheap is expensive. When one goes for the cheapest mode of treatment, likely, the patient does not get enough of the most efficient services. Upon going for the cheapest, there are very many possible negative outcomes like prolonged treatment causing more cost of even death. This is not the case for one having health insurance coverage. With insurance, a patient has the power to negotiate health services. The patient can get the best services from the best professionals and clinicians.Some hospitals and especially national hospitals only offer services upon provision of a health insurance cover and do not accept other payments. This means that one without health care insurance coverage will have limited hospital options.

Without a health care insurance cover, the clinician’s boards continue to diminish. When patients pay for their services before they became sick, they offer a chance to the clinicians to be prepared. This includes the timely purchase of hospital equipment. Otherwise, there is a chance for the hospitals and the government to be ready for the treatment of their patients. Also, the hospital rating increases upon an increase of finances in a hospital and the government health sector. This means that the more the insured the more the ratings. The ratings are a consideration for foreigners who are looking for a good hospital. That is, they will go for the hospital in a country with more rating. The foreigners or patients from other countries are sources of income for a nation and continue to push for development. Therefore, having people without hospital insurance cover is a way of pulling the economy of a country backward. A poor economy means that health care services will be poor too.

The uninsured also lack other health care services which are offered by health insurance facilities. These insurance companies have taken the responsibility of nudging individuals towards staying healthy. For instance, some advise people to stop smoking and give smoking side effects in their advertisements. These services are free for those who have insurance cover but those without will need the same service. Most people who should pay for this service end up ignoring it and think that they can do without it. This leads to a continued lack of knowledge about health care services and their health continues to be at a risk.

Those who do not have health care insurance cover also have nothing to transfer or leave behind for their children. This is because a health care cover is transferable to the next of kin. Those who are covered can transferer their benefits to another person and hence it is a form of wealth transferer. This means that the uninsured families will remain uncovered while those that are insured remain insured. The wealth in the policy does not get lost and therefore those who do not start their savings will never get rich in terms of hospital bill coverage. This kind of insurance enjoys a tax subsidy and hence benefits only those who are insured.

In many countries, the insurers are pushing for more benefits of health care insurance covers. This is because, with the increased number of insured, the government is earning more profits from the interests which should be plowed back to the people. For instance, in the united states, the insurers are negotiating for lower unit prices. After the lowering of the unit prices, this will only benefit the insured leaving the non-insured out.

Discussion.

Research in health care has improved the sector highly. The researches in this sector are many and have included even those things which used to seem obvious. For instance, the barriers encountered by the uninsured may seem obvious but still need to be studied in detail. This research, for instance, opens up the minds of the individual to see the other benefits of getting insured and the disadvantages of not getting an insurance cover. The research gives more than one use of insurance. This is because most individuals think that health insurance cover is only for the rich and not favorable for the poor.

The research will greatly benefit everyone by equipping people with enough reason to get health insurance coverage. After everyone is insured, all the benefits of getting the cover will be enjoyed by the whole society. Fewer costs of treatment will even improve people’s living standards in a society. Other benefits to society include the advice given by the insurance companies on health tips like the encouragement of people to smoke smoking. When people stop abusing drugs, the societal character will generally change to a better one. This change means that even how people relate will improve.

Conclusion

Lack of health insurance cover is generally a drawback in life. Being uninsured makes one poorer than he or she was. Therefore, insurance cover is not for the rich but for everyone who wants to save money (Glassman, A et al., 2017). From the research, the uninsured in health care undergo many challenges which make their life harder. Even for the rich people, when they are uninsured, they will encounter so many barriers in the health sector. A government with uninsured patients will also use more resources in the treatment of its people and end up pressing on the country’s economy. With all the benefits of health care insurance, I will be always wondering why many people never go for the insurance. My other question is why people are so ignorant of their future health status. Even after people are sure that their health will be compromised, they will just stay without health insurance even up to that critical time.

Reflection.

Writing the paper offers an opportunity for me to think more critically. The research is one of the key moments that helped me master what I have learned in class in a better way. I am also in a better position to practice what I have learned in the research and apply the knowledge I have achieved. I am confident that health care insurance cover brings more advantages and I will encourage my society and family on the need to get insured.

References.

Glassman, A., Giedion, U., & Smith, P. C. (Eds.). (2017). What’s in, what’s out: designing benefits for universal health coverage. Brookings Institution Press.

Keisler-Starkey, K. B., and Lisa N. Bunch. “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2020.” (2021).

Wallace, S. P., Torres, J., Sadegh-Nobari, T., & Pourat, N. (2013). Undocumented and uninsured: Barriers to affordable care for the immigrant population.