Most Americans struggle to afford health insurance. In the past few years alone, the cost of purchasing health insurance for your family has skyrocketed. I was speaking with an insurance agent recently who told me that it was not at all unusual for his clients to pay $1,000 to $1,400 a month to have their family covered.
I don't know many people who can easily afford those kinds of monthly insurance payments. Most who pay them make major sacrifices in other areas. The vast majority of Americans put health coverage very high on their list of priorities, so the other things that remain may surprise you. There is no doubt that the quality of life is much lower for many people now that they are paying so much for insurance.
Meanwhile, many employers are reducing insurance coverage for their employees. Professions that once paid health insurance premiums for all of their employees — such as teachers and firefighters — are finding that the employee foots the bill for increasingly larger portions of their insurance.
How do people cope? Many Americans simply no longer have health insurance. This is a big problem not only for families, who often postpone doctor's appointments, but also for society in general. People who are reluctant to buy medicine or see a doctor often end up very sick in hospital emergency rooms.
Others simply reduce the amount of their health insurance. They pay a greater portion of their doctor visits and prescription drug costs. If you're a young adult, it might not make much sense to pay huge insurance premiums to be covered for critical illnesses that you're very unlikely to encounter.
There are a growing number of health insurance plans that allow you to choose which areas of coverage you want to pay for. While this practice was banned in many states, more and more places are seeing the wisdom and necessity of this approach.
Even more pressing than the cost of health insurance is the cost of purchasing prescription drugs.Many people simply cannot afford the rising cost of the drugs they need. Others might insist, willfully lowering their standard of living just to afford overpriced drugs. The solution to this problem increasingly has nothing to do with insurance. The organizations use their vast membership base to negotiate deep prescription drug discounts at thousands of drugstore chains and independent pharmacies nationwide. Typically, you can save up to 60% on generic drugs and up to 15% on brand name drugs.
This is a great benefit for seniors, families, businesses, organizations, and anyone who wants to reduce the cost of their medications. Additionally, some programs also cover medications for your pets. If you care for a sick animal often, this can save you a lot of money over time.
Unlike insurance, discount drug programs are often very inexpensive or free. Pharmacies participate in discount programs to encourage you to buy from them. It's a win-win for you and for the medical industry.
