Free Health Insurance
A lot of skeptics would summarily say, "there's no such thing as free insurance"! This may be true in some countries, but in others, there's such a thing, and most are supported by their respective governments.
In the U.S., healthcare is largely subsidized for groups such as the elderly; the disabled; military personnel, veterans, and their families; indigents; and children. They also have federal laws guaranteeing healthcare even for those without the ability to pay.
However, one's free health insurance coverage can only go so far. There are many exceptions to what you're covered for if you're not a paying member, and you'll only get the bare minimum for services, rooms, and physician's care.
In some countries, free health insurance is offered only for retired citizens who have been members of a government insurance service for about 20 years, and in others, free health insurance is limited to people without any source of income.
The number of people in the U.S. who are uninsured is reaching alarming proportions. Today, there are about 16% - or roughly 46 million residents who do not have medical insurance. Without free health insurance, the numbers may very well remain the same or even increase because of the rising costs of insurance, coupled with the people's lack of proper information regarding the need for it.
As making free health insurance available to the people calls for legislation that will take several years or decades in the making, some states take it upon themselves to do something about the distressing situation. In a story published in the USA Today, it was noted that medical bills led to more than 50% of all bankruptcies in the country.
Studies show that although the United States spends more on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world, it still has to come up with and implement some form of universal health care.
You can visit www.healthinsurance.org to know more about your state's free health insurance policies, if any. There will be various guidelines for different states, largely depending on the state budget. In Seattle, for instance, they have free health insurance or low-cost health insurance plans for children, pregnant women, senior citizens, and emergency medical services for immigrants.
In Maine, there's no free health insurance provided, but you cannot be turned down by providers for having pre-existing medical conditions or for your age. If you are an employee and are covered under group insurance, you can add protection by purchasing an insurance policy on an individual basis, subscribing ti service-type plans such as those of Blue Shield, Blue Cross, and other HMOs, or enroling in Medicare or Medicaid programs if you're connected with the government.
You mustn't wait for free health insurance because it's not likely to be given anytime soon. The important thing is that if you're not under any Medicare or Medicaid program, at least get minimum coverage from an HMO. This will give you a little peace of mind and serve as an umbrella for unexpected medical emergencies.
