Health care plans: an important decision

Locating affordable health care for Americans is not as easy as it used to be. Many companies are now increasing the charges, for providing this service to their workers or cutting back on the level of cover. I know this because I am one of those workers; I have a great job and prior to 2006, I also had an amazingly wonderful health care plan. Suddenly, my employer announced it was getting too expensive and was switching health care providers.They said that to have a low cost health care scheme for everyone meant we would have to change companies. Although I am just as well looked after with this new policy, I am not entirely convinced. The new insurance company may be cheaper for the company but it is not for me because to have my husband and daughter in the plan costs double what it did with the previous provider. Lower cost cover may be available for all my colleagues now plus the company has saved money but if I want to keep my family on the plan, I will have to settle for a lower income.To be honest, I got on well with the old provider but cannot see that happening here even if the health care plan is half decent. For many of us, higher out of pocket expenses and less in our paychecks is the only result of this pursuit of an affordable health care plan. You see, four years ago, I gave birth to a little girl and of course my old insurance paid for the whole of my hospital stay. This new plan, under similar circumstances however, would personally cost me in excess of 5,000 dollars.There are also the co-pays to consider, another cost in addition to the hospital fees I would have to pay. Fortunately, more affordable health care scheme are being started to help those less fortunate. Options now exist for people that are not supplied with a health provision where they work, and now single mothers have access to plans which they can join; some people can even have free health care. I applaud the set up of these programs but not enough is done to stop those that wish to take advantage and ruin it for others.Those programs should be for struggling families who are taking steps to better their futures, not for people who have no motivation and live off of the state systems and affordable health care programs. I get annoyed because it is the upright taxpayer who has to finance these schemes for the needy and not the state. The health plan program my employer found definitely had improved financial benefits for him. Many of the workers found themselves subsidizing the companys desire to save money yet still provide a scheme by ensuring that they paid in their paychecks. Something needs to be done in this country to offset rising costs and provide more affordable health care to those who are in need.