The state of health insurance coverage.
The United States loses at least $65 billion to $130 billion every year because of the poorer health and earlier death experienced by the 45.8 million Americans without health insurance. (U.S. Census Bureau – August, 2005)
Many Americans believe that essential health care should be — and in fact, is — provided to those who need it, regardless of a person’s financial resources or health insurance status. But the reality is that uninsured people are significantly less likely than those with insurance to receive health care deemed necessary by physicians, including preventive services and care for chronic conditions.
As a result, uninsured Americans are more likely to have poorer health and die prematurely than those with insurance. Being uninsured for even one year appears to diminish a person’s general health.
Uninsured families also suffer financially. Their average annual out-of-pocket medical expenses are less (in dollars and relative to income) than those of insured families, in part because they forego routine care.
But for the same reason, uninsured families are at greater risk of needing very expensive care relative to their income; one out of every 4 uninsured low-income families faces medical bills that total more than 5 percent of their income.
On average, uninsured families pay up to 40 percent of their health care costs out-of-pocket. More than half of working age adults who report serious problems paying medical bills are, or recently were uninsured; most of them borrow money from family or friends, or mortgage their homes to pay expenses. Some eventually declare bankruptcy.
You need some kind of health coverage. Without it, even a relatively minor operation could ruin you financially.
Logic would suggest that the percentage of uninsured owner/operators and drivers in expedited trucking is greater than that of the general public because of the self-employment status of the people involved.
Some expedited owner-operators and drivers are fortunate to enjoy coverage under a spouse’s employee insurance plan, but for many in this industry of the self-employed, the high price of health and medical insurance puts coverage out of their reach.
Even for those who have enjoyed health insurance coverage, expenses have increased dramatically for the self-employed. Premiums have had double-digit increases in recent years with a rise of 13 percent in one year alone.
Filed under: HEALTH FACTS
