Health Insurance Important for Routine Checkups

8/12/2010

One reason why it's so important to find a good health insurance policy is that it makes it easier for people to regularly get checkups with their primary care physicians, and to spot any potential medical problems before they get too serious.

In recent years, the large number of people without insurance has been especially taxing on the nation's emergency rooms, with many patients essentially using them as a substitute for a primary care physician.

This week, various media outlets even highlighted research from the University of California at San Francisco which found an alarming rise in the use of emergency rooms nationwide.

According to the research, ER visits in U.S. hospitals jumped by more than 23 percent between 1997 and 2007 - which is double what many experts had been predicting just using projected population growth.

Health insurance is especially important for people with chronic conditions that require regular doctor's visits, blood work and other procedures. In contrast, those who use the emergency room for most of their medical needs will often see higher costs that could have been held down with some preventive care.