We need healthcare when we are sick or injured. We need health insurance because very few people can pay for the cost of a major illness or surgery out of pocket. When circumstances keep people from having insurance, people live sicker and die sooner.
Unlike many countries, the United States has the resources to provide the assurance that every person, regardless of age, gender, location, poverty, or disability can receive the preventive and curative services they need.
Currently health insurance coverage is largely provided through employer-sponsored coverage for working people and their families. Americans also access subsidized insurance in government-sponsored marketplaces or exchanges for low income working people, through Medicare for those over 65, and Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program for the poor. Despite this, 11 percent of Americans have been unable to obtain insurance coverage.