The price of health care in the U.S. is very high. Health insurance helps people afford those costs. Very few people can pay for doctor’s visits, procedures or hospital care without having health insurance to help cover some or all of the bills. Many people receive health insurance through their jobs, but not every job has insurance benefits, and not everyone is able to work. Having health insurance isn’t guaranteed, which can be dangerous to people’s overall health.
It’s important to note how important health insurance is. Research shows that people are healthier when they have health insurance.
“People are more likely to delay necessary or preventive care because they cannot afford regular doctor’s visits,” says Julie M. Donohue, PhD, associate professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. “We also have research that shows people who lack health insurance do not live as long as people who have it. People wait to fill a prescription or skip doses because they cannot afford medication.”
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