Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Cheap Basic Medical Insurance Is Better Than No Cover At All

By Donald Saunders


If you are having difficulty making ends meet than you may well have decided to skimp on medical insurance and you are definitely not alone as all too many people do not have any type of medical cover. As far as they are concerned, they simply can't make the case for paying the additional money it would require.

Is this really a good idea today? In the vast majority of situations it might be a terrible mistake. With the way that medical costs are climbing each year even some of the most basic of care can cost you thousands.

For example, let's say that you have been avoiding getting medical insurance. You don't really feel that you can afford anything extra from your account every month and so you merely put it off.

Then one day you are driving home from a long day at work when somebody pulls out in front of you and you are forced to swerve to avoid them. In doing so you leave the road and run into a tree. At this point, the other driver keeps on driving because they're frightened. Not surprisingly, you suffer several injuries and have to be taken to the the local hospital.

You are of course really in no position to pick and choose whether or not you wish to have life saving procedures performed on you after an accident. The emergency room staff will just do whatever has to be done and you will be presented with the bill later. Naturally, spending any length of time in an emergency room is not exactly helpful when it comes to saving you money. The hospital then bills you approximately $45,000 for all of the services they performed.

What this means is that, instead of paying one or two hundred dollars each month for medical insurance, you are saddled with a bill that you will never be able to pay. When you owe the hospital money, they'll send bill collectors and will eventually sue you. You may have to file for bankruptcy and your credit rating is going to be stained forever. Your entire life might well be negatively affected in this case.

Some sort of health insurance coverage is better than no medical coverage at all. Incidents like this happen each day and, if you possess some form of health insurance coverage, your insurance company will be able to save your bacon. Instead of you being landed with an insurmountable bill you will have someone who is going to take care of it.

You'll almost certainly be asked to pay something towards the cost but it is going to be much more manageable when you are getting assistance from your insurer. If you have put off purchasing some sort of medical insurance then do not do it any longer. Do not try to convince yourself that it's not worth purchasing cover unless you are able to purchase an expensive package with all the bells and whistles.

begin small with just the basic features needed in case of emergency and, then as you begin to get more comfortable with your bills, gradually upgrade the cover to get the features you want. It will not seem like such a large bite out of your monthly paycheck if you take it slowly.

Health insurance is not something which you can afford to live without so do not be afraid to talk to someone about your options. The only way to find out what you can afford is to ask.

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