Recent statistics show that there are currently over 50 million Americans without health insurance. It’s an issue that has been in the spotlight more and more since the since the presidential election, where it was a major part of President Obama’s platform. Now that Obama is in office, the uninsured are eager for progress to be made to make health insurance a part of life for everyone who needs it.

The uninsured in this country are a massive group, but they are largely silent politically. They are not a unified body, and most of us wouldn’t have any idea whether or not or neighbors are insured or not. If the uninsured were able to unite, politicians might be more inclined to make their issue a priority. Legislation to help the automotive industry, for instance, could build support from a major block of voters in that industry. There is no union or major lobbying body for the uninsured.

There are several obstacles that will make it hard to make the dream of universal health insurance a reality. First, the cost of insuring everyone who needs it would be massive. With the nation already running at a massive deficit every year, justifying the costs of a program like this could be difficult. Second, with the country in a deep recession and concerns over unemployment, the trade deficit, the falling value of the dollar, the national debt, the financial system, and other issues creating serious, immediate concerns, health care seems to have taken a back seat for now.

The hardest part of uniting the uninsured in an effort to get help from Washington DC is that many uninsured people don’t stay that way long term. People losing jobs may be uninsured for a couple of months, but they are often able to find a new job that provides health insurance. There are people who go without insurance for long periods of time, but many of these people are so busy trying to make ends meet that they really can do nothing other than to hope for a political solution to the problem.

The financial consequences that come with major medical problems for people without insurance can drastically change a family’s financial position, but in the short run and long term. Insurance planning should be a part of your overall financial plan so that unforeseen medical costs don’t make your long term goals impossible to achieve.

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Tags: health insurance, insurance, Universal Health Care

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