What Are the Dangers If I Don't Have Health Insurance?

• Health insurance is a major expense for employers and consumers in countries such as the United States, where citizens don't enjoy a universal government-sponsored health program. Instead, if you want health insurance and don't qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, available to elderly and low-income individuals, respectively, you must receive it through your employer or purchase coverage on your own.

Financial Woes

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges the rising trend of the cost of medical care. Health insurance helps lower costs for you, placing an annual out-of-pocket limit on how much you pay for medical care. Paying for your own medical care if you develop a major illness, such as cancer, can be catastrophic. According to Consumer Affairs, high medical bills cause about half of the personal bankruptcies in a given year.

Lack of Treatment

• In some cases, a lack of health insurance may cause you to go without medical care. Community clinics are a source of medical care for those who lack insurance, but they offer only limited services and may not employ doctors who can treat every illness. You also may have to wait weeks to see a doctor.

Delayed Care

• If you do eventually receive medical care despite lacking health insurance, you may receive it later that you otherwise would. Being uninsured increases your chances of not catching a disorder early. The American College of Physicians notes that uninsured individuals are four times as likely to spend time in a hospital for conditions that don't require hospitalization when properly treated, including asthma, ulcers, hypertension and diabetes.

Getting Insured

• Lacking health insurance may make it more difficult to get insurance in the future Some insurance companies require a history of coverage without gaps to ensure that you don't have any preexisting conditions or health issues. In the case of employer-sponsored health insurance, you might wait longer than someone with existing coverage to receive insurance.