There’s no question that our fitness, wellness, and total health are tied in with our health insurance.
Our new president signed an order to effectively begin the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This means that coverage for Americans will likely change in the coming years.
We know that things are going to change, but how will the coming changes affect your lifestyle and your health? It’s time to start looking towards future changes to your health insurance coverage.
Here’s what may change and how it might affect you!
Access to Care May Affect Preventative Medicine
It’s estimated that more than 18 million people will be affected by repealing the Affordable Care Act. This means that if the act is changed or dismantled, this number of people could lose coverage in the first year. The number of uninsured has the potential to increase each year afterward.
Even if you have health insurance with an employer, this doesn’t mean your benefits are safe. Since President Trump hasn’t put a new plan in place yet, we can’t be sure of what will happen. What we do know is that your access to care may affect your preventative measures.
Getting immunizations or screenings is easy when it’s free and you have access to these providers. If you lose coverage and no longer have access, this means you’re less likely to visit a doctor to help prevent sickness and disease. Only visiting a doctor when something goes wrong isn’t good for your health or fitness: we need to nourish and maintain our bodies to achieve and maintain wellness.
More Companies Covering Alternative Treatments Can Boost Health
With billions of dollars spent out-of-pocket for alternative medicine, it’s no wonder that health insurance companies are noticing.
The trend towards natural healthcare in place of synthesized, patented pharmaceuticals has been huge. People are turning to integrative health doctors, herbalists, naturopaths, and other medical professionals to effectively treat their problems.
Many of you have experienced the frustration of not getting these costs covered by your insurance company. Now, certain providers are covering at least part of chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture services for patients.
This means your insurance policy could cover part of these procedures, enabling you to get the natural care you choose for less. Chiropractic adjustments can hugely impact our fitness performance, while massage therapy can help chronic pain and increase circulation.
No Requirements Could Curb Your Motivation
President Trump has shown support for allowing Americans to have a choice when it comes to health insurance coverage. What this means is that, if the ACA is repealed, you’ll no longer be required to have coverage in order to avoid a fee.
This could mean that you start thinking about how annoying and costly it is to pay that insurance premium every month and decide to forgo health insurance coverage in honor of saving money. However tempted you may be to do this, it’s never a good idea.
Even if you focus exclusively on alternative treatments, an accident could land you in the hospital with a bill that’s thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars. Is this worth not paying your insurance premium every month? Yes, it can feel like a waste of money, but it’s not worth going bankrupt over.
Just because you may no longer be required to have health insurance doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your coverage or lose your motivation to pursue the coverage you need to take care of your health, which will better help you to take care of your fitness!
Be Prepared with Personalized Coverage
You can be prepared for the changes in marketplace insurance by researching health plans now. Know what you need in order to be adequately covered. Ask your insurance representative questions. Coverage that suits your needs shouldn’t be difficult to find but often is.
The best course of action is to be informed about your plan and know what’s covered and what’s not. The language in insurance speak is often designed to be confusing. Choose a provider that communicates clearly with you and best fits your needs.
Since the future of the ACA is still unclear, we don’t need to worry about how our health insurance will change just yet. However, by being prepared for these anticipated changes, we can secure the best health insurance policy to fully support our health and wellness needs. No matter what health insurance you have, having coverage is a safe, responsible, and healthy choice.
