Individual Health Insurance

Individual Health Coverage for the Here and Now

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In her last post, Melissa urged individual health consumers not to wait until health care reform is completed before getting coverage. I'd like to build on this by sharing some hard numbers from a survey sponsored by eHealth, Inc., which measured consumer expectations following the passage of legislation.

eHealth's Health Reform Survey found that 39% of the uninsured respondents would wait for health reform legislation to be fully implemented before researching and buying health insurance, and 44% believe there is "no risk" in going without health insurance coverage until government programs become available.

Additionally, a substantial number of the uninsured respondents expect the following reforms to be fully implemented in 2010:

• 62% expect to have access to private insurance regardless of any pre-existing medical conditions
• 56% believe the government health insurance exchanges will be up and running
• 56% expect to receive subsidies to help cover the cost of health insurance

It's critical for consumers to understand that the timeline for implementation of the various health reform provisions span through 2014, and some reforms are slated for 2015 and beyond. Delaying the important task of buying health insurance puts uninsureds at tremendous risk - to their physical and financial health.

That's why there remains a need for individual health insurance. People need coverage to protect their physical health and financial stability, and waiting until health care reform is completed is not the answer. While health care reform in imminent, there's a need in the here and now for coverage.