Health insurance in the United States is a tricky thing at best to understand. In the traditional sense, health insurance and thus health care is a program or package that is provided to an individual and their families that will help offset or completely pay medical expenses.

For a large portion of the American population, many of them receive these benefits thanks in part to their employer. When hired on to a business position, most employees have the option to choose to use the company’s health and dental benefits, usually between a standard or premium plan. The business provides a health care provider and their services to their employees; ultimately, an employee’s wages are slightly lower due to the monthly costs of this program, but the cost is usually lower than what an employee would pay on an individual basis.

Health insurance plans allow for employees to only pay a small fee when visiting their doctor or a hospital checkup, as well as getting discounts on major prescription drugs. It allows for some absorption of medical costs in the case of an emergency or surgical situation.

The major debate with health insurance in the US currently revolves around the status of the unemployed. Beginning in 2007, a major recession caused millions of workers to be laid off or downsized because of businesses closing their doors; because many of these workers received their benefits from the employer, once the transition period was reached, these same workers found themselves without the availability to cover their medical costs.

Private health care is also offered on an individual basis, but these plans are usually more expensive than the same plan offered by the work place environment; this can cause a strain on an already financially stricken household. The downside to this is that these same workers may stop taking important medications because they are unable to purchase them at their actual retail price instead of the discounted one. It’s still definitely worth it to check what individual policies may be within a person’s price range.

This of course is a dangerous situation, but one that cannot be helped. On the other side of this coin, small businesses that currently are still active are making hard decisions in terms of offering health care to employees. Many small businesses are usually one person or a family affair. However, there are some that have a number of employees. These businesses, like the individual or family, may not have the funds to provide health insurance to all of their employees. Again, it is still worth it to check current rates and see what can be provided.

This can cause these businesses to choose whether to get rid of some employees in order to provide the health care or to not offer their employees benefits.

The debate over health insurance and health care continues to grow as the US begins to find a silver lining within the recession that took hold nearly five years ago. It’s hard to say what the future will bring to the many that are uninsured and are looking to be reinsured. Until that time, those looking for health coverage should contact AXS to see what is available within their limited budget; whether they are businesses or individuals. The quote they get may surprise them!

Tags: health care, health insurance, insurance plans