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Uninsured and Under-Insured Population

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Submitted By bnhopkins0417
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Uninsured and Under-insured Population
Brittany Hopkins
U.S. Health Care System
Dr. Sherry Grover
July 25, 2014

Having a large uninsured and underinsured population has been a problem troubling the health care system in the United States. Ethnicity, gender, income level and age all play a role in determining whether an individual is likely to have health coverage. Children, young adults and ethnic minorities are unreasonably represented among the two groups. Over the last few decades the population of the uninsured has risen due to job market in the economy and the fact that most insurance is tied to employment, also becomes a problem as the unemployment rate rises.
Health care is financed by different means. You have public and private financing. Public financing options are through the government and states and usually consist of Medicare and Medicaid. Private financing options consist of self-insurance, group insurance and Managed Care Plans. Even though there are options available to citizens that want to have health insurance, finances also come into play. The rising cost of health insurance plus the rising cost of medical care are impacting families tremendously. The incapability to pay medical bills for treatment affects not only the uninsured but also the underinsured. According to health care article published by The Journal of Legal Medicine in March 2008, nearly 47 million Americans were not covered by insurance companies. Another 20% are underinsured, which means they will pay for coverage usually at very high rates and still face hardship for trying to pay medical treatment. Many of these citizens have major health illnesses and preexisting conditions which makes it harder for them keep their coverage rates low or even find an insurance company that will even cover them. So to keep their coverage they have to pay out of pocket expenses that

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