Did you know that it is estimated that there are around 50 million Americans without health insurance? It has been reported that  the cost of health insurance can be expected to rise by at least 10%?   The number of uninsured is also on the rise.  Many people go without insurance because of simple necessity; they need that money for other things.  When left with the choice of either spending hundreds of dollars a month on insurance or putting food on the table, many choose to live without health insurance.  Unless you live in a state like Massachusetts that has a Mandated Health Insurance Law requiring residents to have health insurance, having that  insurance may be a luxury that many cannot afford.

Each year around 45,000 people die because they did not have insurance.  Rather than rack up medical bills that they cannot pay, many people choose to simply tough out their ailments at home. When my daughter was much younger she developed a high fever and I had to take her to the ER.  I had just started a new job and my insurance had not kicked in yet.  While at the hospital she received children’s Motrin and was given a prescription for antibiotics.  I later received two bills, one from the hospital and one from the doctor both totaling about $350.  I can understand why this might scare some families from going to a hospital.

There are affordable alternatives for those seeking medical attention.  Many pharmacy chains have clinics in select locations such as CVS Minute Clinic, The Clinic at Wal-Mart and Walgreens Take Care Clinic.  The list of services they provide is long, the prices are more reasonable than the emergency room and the wait time is short.  The same visit for my daughter’s fever would have cost me around $65 at one of these clinics. At the beginning of this school year I took my daughter to the doctor to get her vaccinations.  We were there at least 1 ½ hrs.  I recently took her to a pharmacy clinic for a school physical.  We were in and out in about 20 minutes.

The Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services has many federally-funded health centers that charge based your income, www.findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.   In addition to being able to keep your child well through regular checkups while not having insurance there are also methods in which you can save yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars should your child be seriously injured.   At the beginning of each school year my child comes home with a huge envelope full of paperwork.  I must admit that I do not sit there and read all of those papers.  However, in your child’s envelope is probably a form for school insurance.  My daughter’s school offers an accident insurance policy which cost me $30 for the entire school year.  It covers any accidents that happen at school or on field trips.  They also offer a policy that covers accidents 24 hrs a day.  Even if you have health insurance, I would recommend investing in one of these policys because the co-pays for serious injuries can be steep.  If your child’s school doesn’t offer insurance, here are some alternatives:

http://www.insuremykids.com

https://www.k12specialmarkets.com

We all want happy and healthy kids.