Why Health Coverage Matters.
Health coverage matters for many reasons. For individuals & families, health coverage means better health and financial protection. For employers, health coverage can improve productivity and enhance recruitment and retention. For communities, health coverage can mean better quality of life and more effective use of resources.
For Individuals & Families
For individuals, health coverage can mean better health, better health care, and more financial protection. Compared to people without health coverage, people with health coverage:
- Receive more medical care and more timely services
- Have better health outcomes
- Have fewer health-related financial problems.
Health coverage also affects the entire family. Research shows that if any member of the family is uninsured, it becomes more likely that:
- Family members are less likely to get timely health services;
- Use of health services is more likely to adversely affect family finances;
- The health of children and their long-term development can be compromised.
For Small Employers
For employers, health coverage can mean better employee health, higher productivity, and improved recruitment and retention. Consider:
- Employees view health insurance as the most important fringe benefit of employment.
- Offering health coverage often attracts the best applicants.
- Employees tend to be happier and more satisfied with their jobs when they are offered group insurance.
- Employees with valuable health coverage are less likely to leave their job.
- Healthy workers are present and productive workers.
Community Impact
For communities, health coverage means better quality of life and more effective use of resources. Consider:
- People with health coverage have better health outcomes - especially among people with chronic illness.
- Health care providers are more stable to the extent their patients have coverage to pay for care - making it possible for those providers to stay in the community for the long term.
- Workers with health coverage make for a healthier workforce - and a better draw for economic development.
- Children & youth with health coverage have the services they need to stay healthy and ready to learn.
- Communities with high levels of health coverage can make more effective use of available resources to serve those who are uninsured and unable to pay for care.
