Health insurance is a necessity for most individuals across the United States. It provides families with financial security in case of health emergencies. Therefore, the majority of individuals across the United States have some form of health insurance coverage. The private sector plays a significant role in the provision of health insurance. About 58 percent of the US population has private health insurance to cater for their health needs (Chan, 2019). The government also offers several insurance schemes to provide subsidized coverage to particular groups of individuals in society. For instance, most senior citizens across the United States are covered by Medicare, a federal social insurance program. The program covers nearly half of the medical costs of elderly US citizens. However, the debate on which is better between government insurance and private insurance schemes seems endless.
To a considerable extent, I feel that the provision of subsidized health insurance coverage through government insurance programs is better than providing coverage through private insurers. There are several reasons why I have this inclination. First, government health insurance is more affordable than its private equivalent. This is because it does not require deductibles or co-pays, and it has minimum administrative expenses (Chan, 2019). This makes it affordable to the low-income earners in society and the most vulnerable individuals like the elderly and the disabled. The fact that government health insurance programs target the most vulnerable individuals in the community makes it a better option since it ensures health security for all people.
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Secondly, in a government insurance program, an individual must not fulfill specific fixed parameters to qualify for registration. Government insurance programs accept new registrations from the public at any time of the year. Therefore, vulnerable and low-income earners have access to various programs throughout the year. The government insurance programs are also structured to cover the lowest income earner across the United States (Chan, 2019). For instance, the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to cover even those individuals with an income below the federal poverty level.
In conclusion, government insurance programs primarily target those individuals with low-income and those with limited ability to earn a living. These individuals would be more vulnerable without health insurance coverage as they cannot afford the hefty private health insurance costs. Therefore, the government's subsidized health insurance coverage is preferable as it promotes equality in healthcare.
Reference
Chan, A. (2019, January 15). Differences between private and public insurance in the United States . Pacific Prime's Blog. https://www.pacificprime.com/blog/differences-between-private-and-public-insurance-in-the-united-states.html
