January 13th, 2012Healthcare Financing
Healthcare financing can be expensive, and January has always been a difficult time of year for families on middling to low incomes. After the expenditure of the holiday season, waistlines have increased and bank balances have decreased. For those in more northerly states, this is compounded by severe weather and the cold. Spring seems a long way off. The worst thing you need is a health crisis, but what if the worst comes true?
Adequate Health Insurance
Without engaging in politics, the state health care provision in the US is very poor. Even with programs such as Medicare, many families are forced to choose between the cost of medication (which isn’t covered) and heating during the winter. This presents a stark choice. Of course, Middle America will shout, “adequate health insurance” as an antidote. However, healthcare financing isn’t cheap, and poorer families simply cannot afford sufficient cover for their potential needs.
Loans
What happens when a medical emergency hits a member of your family and you’re not sufficiently insured? There are several options available, and many life-threatening accidents or ailments are covered by minimal state provision. However, many are not, particularly if your condition isn’t considered to be life threatening. A healthcare financing option for families in employment and a reasonable credit history is to take out a healthcare loan. This is like any other loan and paid back in instalments over time, plus the interest.
The difficulties really begin if you are employed but have a poor credit rating. You may also be up to your credit limit, which also reduces your funding possibilities. Unfortunately this is a growing problem in the US, with increased inflation devaluing the dollars in our pockets.
Those families, who for whatever reason cannot take out a regular medical loan, may be directed towards payday loans. These loans are intended as short time crisis loans only and are repaid in full after a maximum of 30 days. The idea is that you borrow against your monthly salary, and the amount you borrowed is taken from your next check once you are paid. The interest rate for payday loans is massive and can be more than $4 per day of borrowing on top of the amount forwarded. Payday loans really must be seen as a last-resort funding option for absolute medical emergencies only that won’t attract state provision.
Pitfalls of Payday Loans
There is an obvious pitfall with payday loans. People who are forced to take these types of loans are already experiencing financial difficulties, meaning disposable income is scarce. Paying back a payday loan plus interest may well mean that a family falls short of money before the next pay check. Many families in this position are forced to take yet more payday loans to bridge the gap the first loan has created. It’s a vicious cycle of debt. It is therefore vital that you cut back in your spending as much as possible if you do decide to take out one of these loans. Otherwise your emergency healthcare financing may cost you a small fortune in interest over the long term.