At present there are nearly 45 million Americans who do not have health insurance. Are you one of them? There are several reasons why people do not buy health insurance. The prime reason and most obvious is the cost. On the other hand the cost incurred to you and your family if you are not covered by insurance and are struck down with a major illness unexpectedly may mean complete bankruptcy. Another top reason why people do not acquire health insurance is when they change companies and have a pre-existing condition. Often times a new company will not insure a person that has been diagnosed with an illness or chronic condition because they are considered a high use risk. Then again some companies may want you to buy health insurance but they do not necessarily want you to use it. There are a number of alternative programs available in nearly all States in the United States that offer plans to people that have been denied insurance due to a pre-existing condition. However such types of programs are not always well publicized but definitely worth looking into if you or a member of your family falls into this category, and not an option to overlook as you buy health insurance.

There are a variety of companies and options to buy health insurance. Several major companies offer a free on line quote. These companies not only offer an in-depth comparison for the various plans offered within the company but also comparable prices of similar plans offered by their major competitors. The comparisons usually look at the type of deductible you are willing to pay as well as co-pays. The key flux in price from one plan to another is whether or not prescription medications are covered or offered at a reduced rate with co-pay. When you decide to buy health insurance prescription coverage may not be necessary if you or your family members are not prescribed daily medication. Whereas the elderly who are more liable to have prescribed medications, have Medicare options to cover this area, hence this is not as important of an issue for them when buying supplemental health insurance to pick up where Medicare ends. An important thing to remember is to fill out the state you currently reside in if you choose to have a price quote done when filling out the information for United States Citizens as at this time you can only buy health insurance from providers from the State you reside in. Though currently there is a bill in legislation trying to amend this policy; still there is not a great deal of support for it. The state of Massachusetts is trying to pass a law that it be compulsory for all residents of that state to buy health insurance or face penalties, similar to the mandatory laws to have car insurance. However the major debate that exists with this type of legislation is what is affordable to one household may not be affordable to another.

The crisis of millions of Americans without health insurance is costing tax payers millions of dollars annually. Individuals and families need to be protected so buy health insurance. On a positive note, if every person does buy health insurance the over all costs for everyone will decrease, as those with insurance need not incur higher cost for premiums as the result of paying for the costs of those who do not have health care coverage.