At present in the United States, health insurance is the best way to ensure access to health care. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, uninsured individuals are less likely to receive preventive care or care for routine medical conditions and injuries. Lack of preventive health care and lack of treatment for medical conditions can lead to more serious illnesses and health problems. This, in turn, can result in hospitalizations and deaths that could have been prevented. In addition, lack of insurance has financial impacts on all of us. The uninsured feel a direct effect on their ability to pay bills; the insured feel indirect effects through higher health care costs, which lead to higher health care premiums and higher taxes.
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