What’s as bad as having no health insurance? Paying for insurance you can’t afford to use!
Vermont’s 2021 “Health Insurance Survey” is out; it reveals that over 187,000 insured Vermonters are still left to worry about paying for health care.
187,000+ people who have health insurance—either private insurance or Medicaid—meet the definition of being “under-insured” in Vermont. That’s more than ever before. They can’t afford the deductibles, co-pays, and premiums that stand between them and seeing a doctor.
In human terms, this means sitting around in your kitchen frantically trying to decide if someone in the family is sick enough that they need to see a doctor, even though that will mean putting off paying the rent, or the utility bill, or the credit card bill that still carries a big balance from the last time someone got sick. “Am I sick enough that I have to risk eviction” isn’t a question anybody should have to ask themselves.
And those 187,000 doesn’t even include the 19,000+ people who have no insurance. Nor does it include people on Medicare, many of whom can’t even afford a supplemental policy, leaving them exposed to Medicare’s hefty co-pays. How many of Vermont’s 138,000 Medicare recipients spend their old age balancing health against food and rent?
It’s guaranteed you know someone who is struggling with this. Use this link to find your legislators! Write to them and ask why true HEALTH CARE FOR ALL is not on their agenda.
Health Care for All!