In addition to improving health and well-being, robust health insurance – coverage that pays for services that keep people healthy as well as treatment for when they are sick, promotes financial security, stability, and upward mobility for families and individuals.  

Financially, coverage helps to:

• make routine health care costs more predictable and manageable; 

• insulate against large and unexpected medical bills after a health care crisis, such as a trip to the emergency room or a cancer diagnosis; and
• prevent the accumulation of medical debt, which can hurt two ways:
  • sabotaging a person’s ability to save for the future, such as setting up a college fund, buying a house, or starting a business; and 
  • causing financial woes that exacerbate family instability and increase the odds families will split up. 

Medical debt is the leading reason people file for personal bankruptcy, and Texans have the highest levels of medical debt in the country.

When people have health insurance, they live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Insured people are more likely to:

• get regular checkups so their doctor can screen for diseases like hypertension, a potentially deadly condition that often goes undetected without regular evaluations;
• obtain routine cancer screenings, helping improve early detection, treatment, and long-term prognosis;
• take prescription medications as ordered, helping better treat short duration or ongoing illnesses;
• have fewer sick days at work or school because they can get treatment when they need it; and
• get necessary treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders so that they can lead fulfilling and productive lives.

In turn, healthier, more financially stable families and individuals benefit from the health and prosperity of communities, employers, and taxpayers by:

• boosting the number of people in the local labor pool, helping fuel economic development and the tax base;

• improving public safety by giving fire, police, and military recruiters a larger pool of healthy people from which to recruit; 
• minimizing the expenses related to emergency and social services, allowing tax dollars to be spent on other priorities; and
• mitigating rising rates of homelessness caused by family instability or untreated mental illness. 

Many factors determine a person’s health – genetics, diet, and exercise are three. Health insurance alone is not a cure all. Yet, when people have it, it amplifies the odds of living longer, healthier, more prosperous and productive lives, benefitting them, their families and communities.