Why is it important to have medical insurance?

So you have preventative care and not reactive care (that I have to pay for instead of you)

in case you get ill

its more like a safety net. in case you have a medical emergancy and you dont have the money upfront to pay for it, medical insurance covers most, if not all, of your medical costs. of course you have to pay a monthly fee, just as with car insurance.

if you are sent to the hospital it can cost thousands of dollars

So if you are in an accident or get a serious illness your medical bills are mostly paid and you're not stuck with them.

It's important that you have it
but it's not that important that it comes out of your pocket
if you can't beat em, join em
go get on medicaid or CHIP like every other , uh,
nice person in America does.

Medical procedures and doctors visits can be costly. If you are not prepared to pay these costs at the time of services, you should probably have medical insurance. Depending on the country you live in, though, medical insurance can be a whole nother topic.

If you get ill or end up with a hospital stay then you'll find out a few months in the mail.

this cant be a serious question. Its important to have medical insurance becasue if something bad happens you want to be covered...otherwise the entire expense will come right out of your own pocket.

How old are you? 8

because if you get really sick (like need a kidney transplant or get hit by a big truck) you will have such high medical bills it is impossible to pay them and you will be destitute for the rest of your life or have to take bankruptcy. that's why you need insurance.
also so that you can pay only $20 when you go to the doctor (copay) instead of $175 which is what it would cost without insurance.

Because one hospital stay for a serious illness can bankrupt a person. Medical bills are the leading cause of bankrupcy filings.

This one is absolutely the most ignorant question I have seen today.

Well, when I broke my leg the hospital tab was over $14,000. Had I not had insurance, I'd still be paying the hospital. You really need insurance for the unexpected. You might get lucky and never need it but if one serious thing happens you're stuck with the bill! My friends son just found out he has a brain tumor & had just recently got insurance. His MRI's, radiation treatments, and chemo costs are crazy!

to provide financial protection in case of a serious illness or accident. If you can afford protection, then you can't afford to go without it..

It is to protect you if something happens to you that requires serious medical attention. No one knows when these things happen so it's good to have it just in case. The bills will be very expensive and without medical insurance, you can be heavily in debt from paying off the bills. Medical insurance is affordable when small payments are made every month. It's better to pay small amounts every month and have peace of mind rather than risking it and potentially having something awful happen that will drain you of your savings, putting you in debt long term.

So that you can get good medical attention when needed. The ability to obtain a private physician that can chart your health for years to come. Nor, do you want to be a burden to the State and tax payers. Also, try going to a County Hospital in an emergency situation and see how long you'll have to wait. Actually, that's what you need to do is spend one Saturday at the hospital and watch the process. Focus on (time) one patient from start finish and see how long it takes. You'd better eat breakfast and take your lunch and dinner with you.

cuz if you don't their bills will follow you everywhere you go. and i don't think you get that good of care if they know.

it's imporatant to have medical insurance because of the high costs of doctor visits, prescriptions, and accidents.

for example, i have astma so if i didn't have insurance my doctor's visit a month would be:
1) GYN= $210
2) general doctor = $190

but since i do have nsurance I only pay:
1) GYN= $30
2) general doctor= $20

if i didn' t have insurance my prescription's would cost:
$510

but since i do have insurance i only pay:
$80

Have you paid any medical bills lately?

I have medical insurance through my job but my husband doesn't. He just got a piece of metal in his eye and went to the emergency room (it was at night when he was cutting some pipes). They used a Q-tip to get the metal out and sent him home. We just got the bill (for $526.00) That is why you need insurance. It would have cost me $35.00.

Well, maybe because the #1 cause of bankruptcy filings in the US is due to uninsured medical costs?

It's the best way to get other people to pay your medical bills.