Reformers in their concern for affordable health insurance for the masses, and critics of the current health care system often treat the uninsured as if they all face similar circumstances. In fact, people are uninsured for a variety of reasons, and any attempt to "solve the problem of the uninsured" by providing affordable health insurance without recognizing those differences will have mixed results - and may even exacerbate the problem for many. When we look at the different types of uninsured people, some of the groupings fit the popular image of the uninsured as often portrayed in the media. However, many do not.
Affordable Health Insurance Now A Major Topic
There are different reasons why people in the United States are not able to attain affordable health insurance. One reason that people in the United States are not able to attain affordable health insurance is No Access to Employer-Provided Coverage - For better or worse - and there are pluses and minuses - the U.S. has evolved into an employment-based health insurance system. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that about 60 percent of those with health insurance get it through their employer. However, about 80 percent of the uninsured work or live in a household where someone works. In most cases they are lower-income workers, and the employer doesn't offer health insurance.
You Can Get Affordable Health Insurance If You Are Employed
There are however, caveats to that. Here's one. If you are chronically you probably can't get affordable health insurance. Reports estimate that some 90 million Americans have some form of chronic illness, with cancer, diabetes and heart disease being some of the most common. Most of those people have health coverage, either private insurance or Medicare or Medicaid. However, they won't be getting affordable health insurance if an uninsured person with a chronic illness tries to buy coverage individually. He may be denied that coverage in must cases, or pay higher premiums or accept a rider that excludes coverage for that particular condition.