Health care reform is still a major question mark on the horizon. Buying health insurance now avoids potential penalties later.
It is hard to really know where the future will take the American population in terms of health insurance. Ideally, we will all have access to low cost health insurance in the future. That sounds great on the surface, but this is not an option for people; this is mandated health insurance, whether people want it or not. Those who do not have it will face fines.
This likelihood poses a major dilemma for people without health insurance today. “What do they do? Should they get health insurance now? Wait? Not buy it and see what happens? There are a lot of unanswered questions here,” said Clelland Green, RHU, and president of Benepath, Pennsylvania.
To date, those who do not have health insurance feel they are justified in not spending the money to care for themselves or their families; at least until something happens and the roof falls in when the bills start arriving for medical care they needed.
“If you live paycheck to paycheck, finding extra to buy health insurance can be a squeaker,” Green said. “But if you don’t have coverage, the medical bills will completely wipe you out financially. That applies either now, when you could make the personal choice to buy affordable health insurance, or later, when you will have to buy it at an unknown and perhaps higher premium, or pay a fine.”
Frankly, the best time to buy affordable health insurance is now when there is a measure of choice and control over what is bought. “Start right now to research what is out there to meet your needs or the needs of your family. There is a lot of variety on the market and you can definitely find something that works well for you and your budget. Health insurance plans have varying levels of coverage, deductibles, premiums and co-pays, so it only makes sense to act now when you have choices,” Green said.
Keep in mind that to compare health insurance policies, the details need to be the same for every quote requested. If something is changed, the results will change and it will also change what is covered and not covered. It all boils down to those all-important choices. “If you need to go to the doctor more often for a medical condition, try to line up a plan with a lower deductible and co-pay. If you hardly go at all, you may be able to choose a cheaper plan with less coverage,” Green said.
There is no doubt the health care of the nation will be changing in the future. Being ahead of those changes may be the smart move to make now, rather than later.
To learn more, visit Benepath.com
