How does having health insurance improve a person's health?

Asked by: Dr. Stanley Keebler  |  Last update: July 18, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (74 votes)

In contrast, studies show that having health insurance is associated with improved access to health services and better health monitoring. One study demonstrated that when previously uninsured adults ages 60 to 64 years became eligible for Medicare at age 65 years, their use of basic clinical services increased.

What are the advantages of having health insurance?

No one plans to get sick or hurt, but most people need medical care at some point. Health insurance covers these costs and offers many other important benefits. Health insurance protects you from unexpected, high medical costs. You pay less for covered in-network health care, even before you meet your deductible.

How can individuals benefit from insurance?

Insurance provides the insured with some degree of financial security and stability. The insured can be confident that as long as a loss is covered, the financial effect on the insured's cash flow is reduced to any deductible payments and any loss amounts that exceed the policy limits.

How does insurance help you?

Insurance helps protect you from expensive lawsuits, injuries and damages, death, and even total losses of your car or home. Sometimes, your state or lender may require you to carry insurance. Although there are many insurance policy types, some of the most common are life, health, homeowners, and auto.

What is the advantage of having health insurance available to all citizens?

Health insurance available to all citizens provides coverage for individuals regardless of their employment status and promotes equal access to healthcare. It also reduces the profit motive of private corporations, leading to potentially more affordable healthcare costs.

Giving Patients Control Over Their Health Care | Intellections

35 related questions found

How would free healthcare improve public health?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with universal health care leveraged their systems to mobilize resources and ensure testing and care for their residents. In addition, research shows that expanding health coverage decreases health disparities and supports vulnerable populations' access to care.

Do we really need health insurance?

The main reason why health insurance is important is it helps you get the care you need—even if it's basic preventive care—at a price you can afford.

Why is having insurance good?

Insurance is your financial plan's safety net – having the right insurance at the right amount protects you and your family from unforeseen events and provides a baseline financial cushion.

Why is healthcare so important?

High-quality health care helps prevent diseases and improve quality of life. Healthy People 2030 focuses on improving health care quality and making sure all people get the health care services they need. Helping health care providers communicate more effectively can help improve health and well-being.

What are the pros and cons of not having health insurance?

The pros of not having health insurance include avoiding premium costs, increased choice in healthcare providers, and potential tax benefits. However, the cons consist of high out-of-pocket expenses, limited access to care, and a lack of financial protection against catastrophic events.

How does insurance impact people's lives?

In contrast, studies show that having health insurance is associated with improved access to health services and better health monitoring. One study demonstrated that when previously uninsured adults ages 60 to 64 years became eligible for Medicare at age 65 years, their use of basic clinical services increased.

What is the primary benefit of having insurance?

Insurance is a financial safety net, helping you and your loved ones recover after something bad happens — such as a fire, theft, lawsuit or car accident.

What is the best medical insurance?

Investopedia's analysis ranks Kaiser Permanente as the best health insurance company for 2025 because of its blend of affordability and low customer complaints. UnitedHealthcare and Aetna also earned top marks. We evaluated nine insurers using dozens of criteria, such as customer satisfaction, plan types, and costs.

What is the importance of insurance?

What is the importance of insurance? It acts as a safety net & protects from unexpected circumstances such as accidents, theft, illness, loss of unemployment, etc. It also helps save on annual income tax and build wealth.

What are the benefits of healthcare policy?

Healthcare policy is important because it helps establish guidelines that benefit patients, healthcare organizations, and our healthcare system. Having protocols in place can help prevent human error and poor communication around medical decisions.

What are the 10 essential health benefits?

The Affordable Care Act requires non-grandfathered health insurance coverage in the individual and small group markets to cover essential health benefits (EHB), which include items and services in at least the following ten benefit categories: (1) ambulatory patient services; (2) emergency services; (3) hospitalization ...

How does lack of insurance affect health care?

Context: Uninsured adults have less access to recommended care, receive poorer quality of care, and experience worse health outcomes than insured adults do. The potential health benefits of expanding insurance coverage for these adults may provide a strong rationale for reform.

What if I need surgery but can't afford my deductible?

In cases like this, we recommend contacting your insurance, surgeon, or hospital and asking if they can help you with a payment plan. Remember that your surgery provider wants to get paid so they may be very willing to work with you on a payment plan.

What are the three goals of a healthcare system?

In the aggregate, we call those goals the “Triple Aim”: improving the individual experience of care; improving the health of populations; and reducing the per capita costs of care for populations.

What is the importance of having health insurance?

Health insurance provides important financial protection in case you have a serious accident or sickness. People without health coverage are exposed to these costs. This can sometimes lead people without coverage into deep debt or even into bankruptcy.

Why is access to healthcare important?

Why Is Access to Care Important to Health? Together, health insurance, local care options, and a usual source of care help to ensure access to health care. Having access to care allows individuals to enter the health care system, find care easily and locally, pay for care, and get their health needs met.

Why is affordable healthcare important?

Surveys consistently show that people delay or forgo care due to cost, worry about their ability to pay for health care bills, and incur medical debt. Health care affordability—or a lack thereof—can harm individual health.

Do we really need insurance?

People with young children are strongly recommended to have life insurance to protect their family. Homeowners should take out life insurance so that the death benefit can pay off the mortgage. Business owners and those who want to pass down a financial legacy are also advised to purchase life insurance.

What are the positive impacts of healthcare on the economy?

By improving health, health systems contribute to increasing labor supply and productivity. In addition, when viewed as economic sectors, health systems are a major source of employment and produce goods and services that directly contribute to economic growth.

Who is most affected by lack of healthcare?

Young Adults (Ages 18 Through 24 Years)

Almost three out of every ten young adults do not have health insurance. Members of this age group are nearly twice as likely to be uninsured compared to members of the general population under age 65.