Getting Health Insurance: A Matter of Life and Death

Thomas Eric Duncan is the only person to die of Ebola on American soil. All others infected by the deadly disease in the US, received timely treatment and survived. A lot of people say that Mr. Duncan wouldnt have died if he had health insurance. He was initially turned away and just given anti-biotics. If he had health insurance, he would have been admitted and a lot more tests performed to properly diagnose him. Having health insurance would have assured the hospital of getting compensated for their costly tests, time and expertise of the medical staff.

A 2009 Harvard study (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths- annually-linked-to-lack-of-health-coverage/) found that almost 45,000 deaths occur every year for lack of health insurance. The main reason is because folks with health insurance tend to seek health care regularly including doctors visits, regular physicals, more exams and are more likely to afford and use medication as advised by their doctors. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all plans including the lowest Bronze plan have provisions for free wellness checks. These checks include BMI, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Mammograms, etc. If you get checked and your doctors see a red flag, you have a better chance of receiving the much needed care before its too late. In most instances, the main killer diseases such as Cancer, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, take a long time to manifest themselves to the point of no cure. Early detection and cure are more likely to be done in a much better way if you have health insurance.

You might say, "but I can still pay out of pocket the $150 to $400 needed to get tested". I would tell you that the level of treatment and even examination itself is much better and thorough when you have insurance. In addition, if the tests come back negative or inconclusive, you might need further testing and/or second opinion which will cost you even more. If you are found to be ill and outside the open enrollment period, then youre out of luck and would have to fork lots of money from savings, family, friends, etc this can even lead to bankruptcy and ruin your financial wellbeing for a long time.

The Affordable Care Act open enrollment period this year will be from Nov 15th 2014 to Feb 15th 2015. If you get enrolled by 12/15/14, your coverage will be effective 1/1/15. If you get in between 12/16/14 and 01/15/15, your policy starts on 2/1/15. Sign up between 01/16/15 and 02/15/15 then your covered as of 03/01/2015. There are three ways of getting enrolled.

1. Call ACA customer service at 800-318-2596
2. Enroll online at heathcare.gov
3. Call a licensed agent like me. I can be reached at 866-504-3360 or patoinsurance@gmail.com.

This is the best option, albeit in my subjective view, because you get to discuss coverage options better with someone with experienced. Im currently licensed in the states of TX, OK, KS & MO. I dont charge a fee meaning you pay the same rate through me as you would by the first two.

For those earning more, your rate is higher because the policies are better and must meet certain criteria (https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/essential-health-benefits/) and because of your higher earnings you dont qualify for a subsidy. The one thing I advise all folks to do is enroll and tell their family and friends to do so as well. If the vast majority of the healthy population enrolls, costs will definitely come down. Not to mention if they get sick, it reduces the burden for all those close to them, its much easier to help someone raise a deductible as opposed to clear a hefty hospital bill running in the thousands of dollars.

Now more than ever, ensure your family and friends are covered. If you belong to a church, mosque, other religious or community group, please make sure your members are enrolled. Their protection can be the protection of all!

Getting covered therefore not only could mean a matter of life and death, it can also help lower the rates of insurance for all and benefit us all collectively. You also avoid an IRS penalty (https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/fee-for-not-being-covered/) which is increasing every year, up to $975 for a family in 2015. If your income is low, then you can get a subsidy to help off-set the cost of coverage. Got questions? Please dont hesitate to contact me, again Ill sign you up at no extra cost and give you free, no obligation consultation.

Thanks and God Bless!

By Patrick Nganga. Patrick is a Licensed Insurance Agent | 866-504-3360 | Email:- patoinsurance@gmail.com