With the recent election is fresh in everyone’s minds, there is something that is very important that we all need to think about: health insurance and how the cost is increasing.
Obamacare does have some good elements, such as banning insurance companies from turning away people with pre-existing health conditions. As someone with more than the average number of these conditions, I am in support of that part, however, someone does have to cover that cost.
That means that health insurance costs have increased across the board, regardless of any conditions one might have. As young people, a lot of us don’t even think about health insurance. We might be covered on our parent’s plan, so why should we worry about it?
Since the cost is going up, the time to start saving for insurance is now. Not all jobs offer health insurance, especially part time jobs, and for the jobs that do, it might take a few months to actually be in effect.
According to the Affordable Care Act, you are allowed to stay on a parent’s health insurance until age 26, but your parents could take you off of their plan anytime before. I know that I have friends who have been taken off their plans and we’re not able to afford their own plan.
As college students, we’re pretty broke. Most of us don’t have hundreds or thousands of extra dollars to spend on health insurance. And sadly, the US has not yet reached the point of universal healthcare like other countries, such as Canada or the UK.
We are on our own, and if you are without health insurance, it could cost you a lot of money.
You could be taxed for not having insurance, or if the new president decides to repeal that part of Obamacare, you might have a bad accident that costs you thousands of dollars.
The government needs to do more so that everyone has access to a basic insurance plan without having to spend a lot of money. Until that happens, we need to take it upon ourselves to learn about the different options available to us and figure out the best plans.
I am especially curious about healthcare plans because of my health conditions. One of my conditions requires a medication that costs well into the thousands for just a few doses, so I need insurance to help pay for that. Health insurance can even bring down the cost of a simple doctors visit.
Even if you have no health problems and no family history of serious issues, you still should include health insurance as part of your budget. Life can take unexpected turns, and you might get real sick real quick.
As college students, we can’t afford to get sick at all. It may suck to pay for insurance now, but you will thank yourself later when you only have to pay a fraction of the cost. And with the cost of insurance rising, you need to find a package now, before all options become too expensive.
The time to learn about health insurance is now, especially since the period for open enrollment is right around the corner.
Your health is what keeps you alive, so it is important to take care of it each day and also to invest in it for the future.