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Health Care for Low Income
by Elle Greco
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Overview
Obtaining health insurance in the U.S. can be confusing and expensive, and unfortunately, statistics show it's becoming more difficult for many to find a way to gain coverage. If you're struggling to purchase health insurance, you're not alone. According to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, in 2006 nearly 35 percent of low-income, full-time American workers were without health insurance. That number represents a 12 percent increase over 10 years prior. The Urban Institute sates that in 2008, 42 percent of low-income working families had no coverage.
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Government Sponsored Insurance
First, determine if you're eligible for government health care. Medicare is generally for those over age 65 who have paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. The Social Security Administration handles Medicare, and those already receiving SS benefits are eligible for Medicare. You can learn if you're eligible online or by telephone. Some low-income people are eligible for Medicaid, but this depends on many factors like income, assets, disability, and citizenship status. In some cases, your children may be eligible even if you aren't.
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Shop Around
The type of insurance you can purchase and the cost will vary somewhat depending on your state of residence. You should never have to pay for quotes for coverage, and you should be able to receive the quotes either electronically or over the phone. Check several sources and compare rates.
If the quotes you receive are out of your budget, look into options like "mini medical insurance," catastrophic insurance, and health savings accounts (HSAs). None of these options will provide you with full coverage, but they can give you discounts when the need for care arises. Mini medical insurance, also known as mini-med, gives you discounts for doctor's visits, hospital stays, and common procedures like x-rays for a relatively small monthly fee. Catastrophic or high deductible health plans (HDHPs) give you no coverage for regular doctor's visits or prescriptions, but if you were to fall seriously ill or have an accident, the coverage would begin after you have spent a certain amount. Typically, HDHPs have the lowest monthly fee. HSAs are often used in conjunction with catastrophic insurance because they essentially offer you a way to avoid paying taxes on income spent on medical expenses.
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Health Care Centers
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Administration runs a network of health care centers where patients pay what they can afford. The centers are more common in cities, but there are some in rural areas as well. The centers are community-based and available to everyone, including those who have some coverage that may be lacking.
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Warning
There is one inconvenience of health insurance that can never be avoided: you must understand any insurance before you purchase it. Unfortunately, insurance with low premiums often has many coverage "holes." Learn details such as what types of office visits and procedures are covered, how much coverage you will have for a hospital visit, whether the facilities and doctors included in the plan are acceptable to you and, if the plan is selective, what kind of prescription medication it covers. The time when a health concern arises is not a time to sift through paperwork and learn the limitations of your coverage.
