Advantages of Basic Health Care for Everyone

There is no doubt that health care in America is becoming more expensive as the years go by. The government addressed the issue with a new law, but there is more work to be done. There are many advantages to providing basic health care for all Americans. Shifting the focus to providing preventative care can avoid illnesses before they start. Mandating that insurance companies cover people who have preexisting conditions and those who develop serious medical issues also must be addressed.

Focus on Preventative Care

• One advantage of providing basic health care for everyone is to stop illnesses before they start. Without adequate preventative care, a "health care" system can really be described as an "illness care" system. Preventative care can preserve the health of the population and put into effect the medical knowledge that is currently available. Checkups to assess blood pressure and cholesterol levels may prevent heart problems, and routine vaccinations against such illnesses as measles, polio and meningitis can guard against these diseases. Cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies can pick up problems while they are still treatable. Some people can benefit from counseling to stop smoking, lose weight and reduce the use of harmful substances like alcohol and drugs. Pregnancy screenings and well-baby and well-child visits to age 21 are helpful to keep youngsters healthy. Appropriate preventative care is based on age, gender and health status.

Treating People with Preexisting Conditions

• Another advantage of basic health care for everyone is to treat those with chronic conditions so they can manage their symptoms and have a better quality of life. Some conditions like diabetes can be life-threatening. People who have serious and chronic illnesses and conditions are sometimes denied coverage by their insurance companies for those conditions. Persons with asthma or diabetes may be excluded from the plan. If the insurance plan does cover them, they may be denied coverage for health problems relating to the preexisting condition. New laws prohibit the exclusion, limitation or denial of coverage for a preexisting condition for children under age 19. These protections are scheduled to go into effect for all Americans in 2014. Some insurance companies are beginning to issue policies specifically for people with certain types of chronic illness. The benefit is that with insurance coverage sick people do not have to pay for their care out of their own pocket.

Emergency Care

• A third advantage of providing basic health care to everyone is to enable people to seek needed emergency services when and where they need it to avoid worsening conditions or even death after an accident or incident. Basic health care now includes expanded emergency care for people who need it. Some health insurance policies limited payment for treatment in the emergency room if they were not a part of an approved network of health care providers. The current law provides people with the opportunity to use the emergency services of their choice without prior approval from the insurance company and without paying high co-insurance out-of-network charges.