You may only use the Site if you are domiciled in the United States and you are 18 years old or older.

1. Services Available on the Site. Via the Site, we provide a service by which consumers can apply to receive insurance or discount program quotations from our network of insurance agents, brokers, discount program representatives and other service providers. We seek to provide valuable information that individuals can use to make their own decisions about insurance and discount programs. Once you provide us with the information needed to complete an on-line application, we will attempt to match you with appropriate insurance agents, brokers, discount programs or other companies.

We do not issue insurance contracts or bind coverage. We do not endorse or recommend any companies or insurance policies, and we do not provide insurance, tax or financial advice. We do not guarantee that any of the insurance agents, brokers and/or companies to whom we forward your application will contact you or agree to provide you coverage. We are not responsible in any way for the conduct of the insurance agents, brokers, discount program representatives and companies that are matched with your on-line application. If you would like personal advice or specific policy recommendations, you should consult with an insurance agent, broker, or other qualified professional.

We reserve the right, for any reason, in our sole discretion, to terminate, change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Site, including, but not limited to, content, features or hours of availability. We may also impose limits on certain features of the Site or restrict your access to part or the entire Site without notice or penalty.

There is no charge to you for use of the Site.

2. Proprietary Rights. As between you and the Site Proprietor, the Site Proprietor owns, solely and exclusively, all rights, title and interest in and to the Site, all the content, code, data and materials thereon, the look and feel, design and organization of the Site, and the compilation of the content, code, data and materials on the Site, including but not limited to all intellectual property and proprietary rights therein. Your use of the Site does not grant to you ownership of any content, code, data or materials you may access on the Site. Any commercial use or exploitation of the Site is strictly prohibited. You may view the content on the Site on your personal computer or other internet-compatible device, and make single copies or prints of the content on the Site for your personal, non-commercial use only. You may not otherwise copy, reproduce, distribute or otherwise exploit any content, code, data or materials on the Site. If you make other use of the Site, except as otherwise provided above, you may violate copyright and other laws of the United States, other countries, as well as applicable state laws and may be subject to liability for such unauthorized use. We do not grant any license or other authorization to any user of our trade names, trademarks, service marks or other marks or logos without our separate express written agreement. Third party marks are the property of their respective owners.

3. User Submissions. In the course of your use of the Site, you may be asked to provide, or you may provide on your own inclination, information or materials to us (such information and/or materials referred to hereinafter as “User Submissions”). User Submissions include, for example, information you submit to us via your application to receive quotations (”Application Data”). User Submissions also include information and materials you submit to us via other on-line forms on the Site, by e-mail, or in any other manner via the Site. Our information collection and use policies with respect to the privacy of personal information (with the exception of testimonials, which may be used as set forth in Section 5, below) are set forth in the Site’s Privacy Policy which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Please read our Privacy Policy before submitting any User Submissions. You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for the accuracy and content of the User Submissions. We cannot be responsible for maintaining any User Submissions that you provide to us, and we may delete or destroy any such User Submissions at any time. We reserve the right to refuse to post or to remove any User Submissions, in whole or in part, that, in our sole discretion, are unlawful, unacceptable, undesirable, inappropriate or in violation of these Terms and Conditions.

4. Testimonials. If you submit a testimonial to us about how the Site has worked for you, such testimonial will be deemed not to be confidential or secret, and may be used by us in any manner. By submitting or sending a testimonial to us, you: (i) represent and warrant that the testimonial is original to you, that no other party has any rights thereto, and that any “moral rights” in such testimonial have been waived, and (ii) you grant us a royalty-free, unrestricted, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and fully transferable, assignable and sub-licensable right and license to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, display, translate, summarize, modify and adapt such testimonial (in whole or part) and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed, in our sole discretion, with or without your name.

5. User Conduct. You warrant and agree that, while using the Site, you shall not upload, post or transmit to or distribute or otherwise publish through the Site any materials that: (a) are protected by copyright, or other proprietary or intellectual property right, without first obtaining permission from the proprietary or intellectual property rights holder; (b) are unlawful, threatening, harassing, profane, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, contain explicit or graphic descriptions or accounts of sexual acts (including but not limited to sexual language of a violent or threatening nature directed at another individual or group of individuals), invasive of another’s privacy or hateful, (c) restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Site, (d) constitute or encourage conduct that would constitute a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability, or (e) contain a virus or other harmful component, advertising of any kind, or false or misleading indications of origin or statements of fact.

You also warrant and agree that you shall not: (a) impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any other person or entity; (b) upload, post, publish, transmit, reproduce, distribute or in any way exploit any information or other material obtained through the Site for commercial purposes; (c) engage in spamming, flooding, harvesting of e-mail addresses or other personal information, spidering, “screen scraping,” “database scraping,” or any other activity with the purpose of obtaining lists of users or other information, or send chain letters or pyramid schemes via the Site; or (d) attempt to gain unauthorized access to other computer systems through the Site. You agree that you will not use the Site in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Site or interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Site. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through the Site.

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold the Site Proprietor and its directors, officers, employees, agents and affiliates harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising in any way from your misuse of the Site, your placement or transmission of any message, content, information, software or other materials through the Site, or your breach or violation of the law or of these Terms and Conditions.

6. Your Account and Password. We may enable you to establish an account on the Site with a user name and password. If so, you are responsible for maintaining the strict confidentiality of your account password, and you are responsible for any activity under your account and password. You agree to (a) immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. It is your sole responsibility to control the dissemination and use of your password, control access to and use of your account, and notify the Site Proprietor when you desire to cancel your account on the Site. We will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this provision.

7. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. THE SITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL SERVICES, CONTENT, FUNCTIONS AND MATERIALS, IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” “AS AVAILABLE”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY FOR INFORMATION, DATA, DATA PROCESSING SERVICES, OR UNINTERRUPTED ACCESS, ANY WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, USEFULNESS, OR CONTENT OF INFORMATION, AND ANY WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND WE HEREBY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, EXPRESS AND IMPLIED. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR THE SERVICES, CONTENT, FUNCTIONS OR MATERIALS CONTAINED THEREIN WILL BE TIMELY, SECURE, UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE, OR THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT THE SITE WILL MEET USERS’ REQUIREMENTS. NO ADVICE, RESULTS OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US OR THROUGH THE SITE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITE, YOUR SOLE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SITE TO MAINTAIN ANY USER SUBMISSION; YOU SHOULD RETAIN ALL SUCH DATA AND INFORMATION IN YOUR OWN RECORDS FOR USE IN THE EVENT THAT THE SITE FAILS OR IS UNAVAILABLE, OR THE DATA OR INFORMATION IS LOST.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE SITE PROPRIETOR OR ANY OF ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, OR CONTENT OR SERVICE PROVIDERS (COLLECTIVELY, THE “PROTECTED ENTITIES”) BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM, OR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO, THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE OR THE CONTENT, MATERIALS AND FUNCTIONS RELATED THERETO, OR ANY APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF REVENUE, OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR LOST BUSINESS OR LOST SALES, EVEN IF SUCH PROTECTED ENTITY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN DAMAGES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO CERTAIN USERS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROTECTED ENTITIES BE LIABLE FOR OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, EXCHANGED OR RECEIVED BY OR ON BEHALF OF ANY USER OR OTHER PERSON ON OR THROUGH THE SITE.

9. Links from and to the Site. You acknowledge and agree that we have no responsibility for the accuracy or availability of information provided by Web sites to which you may link from the Site (”Linked Sites”). Links to Linked Sites do not constitute an endorsement by or association with us of such sites or the content, products, advertising or other materials presented on such sites. We do not author, edit, or monitor these Linked Sites. You acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on such Linked Sites.

10. Applicable Laws. We control and operate this Site from our offices in the United States of America. We do not represent that materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use in other locations. Persons who choose to access this Site from other locations do so on their own initiative, and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.

11. Miscellaneous. The Terms and Conditions and the relationship between you and us shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You agree that any use of action that may arise under the Terms and Conditions shall be commenced and be heard in the appropriate court in the State of Colorado. You agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the State of Colorado. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of the Terms and Conditions is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Terms and Conditions remain in full force and effect. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action by you arising out of or related to use of the Site or the Terms and Conditions must be filed by you within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated into, and part of, the Terms & Conditions , which govern your use of the Site in general.

Age Requirement for Use of Site: This Site is not intended for use by persons under the age of 18 years old. You must be 18 years old or older to provide any personal information to the Site, or to us through the Site.

Domicile Requirement for Use of the Site: You represent and warrant that you are domiciled in the United States.

1. Collecting Information:

Personally Identifiable Information

The Site may request and collect certain personally identifiable information including, but not limited to, Application Data and other personal information contained in User Submissions, through various means such as online forms, online applications, e-mail and comments submitted to the Site. Such information collected through the Site may include financial information, health-related information, and other sensitive information.

Other than as set forth in this Privacy Policy, and unless given permission by you to do so, we will not sell or disclose your personally identifiable information to third parties.

Non-Personally Identifiable Information

We may also collect certain non-personally identifiable information via the Site, such as Site usage activity and preferences, also known as demographic or profile data.

Why must you give so much personal information?

Insurance companies establish their rates using a variety of criteria. Since we deal with hundreds of companies, we must ask you questions required by all of them to determine the most competitive match for you.

In some cases, where permitted by law, insurance companies may need to obtain additional background information about you, such as credit reports, driving records, or claims history verification, and may need your social security number or drivers license number to obtain these reports. Should you decline to provide information requested on the application form, you may eliminate some of the most competitive quotations.

Site Technology

As with many Web sites, we may use “cookies” and/or other technology (e.g., web bugs, e-mail bugs, clear GIFs, web beacons and tracker GIFs) in the Site or in our communications with you to enhance the functionality of the Site and to make your transactions and other activities more convenient and efficient (collectively, “Tracking Technologies”). These technologies may vary, but in some cases may involve a small file stored locally on the computer used to access the Site, and may be used by us to store and collect information relating to your viewing and use of the Site and our correspondences with you. You may set your web browser software not to accept cookies, but, if so, certain functionality of the Site may be affected. We may collect your IP (Internet Protocol) address to help diagnose problems with our server, administer our Site and identify our users. We may also use such technologies to remember user preferences or minimize the need for you to re-enter information.

Third parties (including, but not limited to, software vendors, advertisers and fulfillment companies) may also use Tracking Technologies by or through the Site. We have no control over what information such third parties track or collect, and we have no responsibility or liability for any tracking, data collection or other activities of such third parties.

2. Usage and Sharing:

We use information collected on and through this Site for a variety of purposes in the course of business and as otherwise set forth herein. For example, such information may be used to process your applications to receive quotations or to send you information about our and our affiliates’ products and services and other information and materials that may be of interest to you. This information may also be used to evaluate what portions of the Site are more popular than others, determine where visitors came from, where they go, and how long they stay on a particular page, or the Site in general. We may match information collected from you through different means or at different times, and use such information along with information obtained from other sources, including third parties.

Application Data may be forwarded to insurance agents, discount program representatives, brokers and/or companies who may contact you with a quote by email, telephone, postal mail or other forms of communication. We are not responsible, and shall not be liable, if an agent, broker, discount program representative or company to whom we forward your Application Data violates our Privacy Policy or their own privacy policy, if any.

We may disclose your personal information to companies that perform technology or marketing services for us for their use in performing such services. We may transfer, sell or assign aggregate, non-personally identifiable information about Site usage to third parties. We may transfer, sell or assign personal information to third parties as a result of a sale of all or substantially all of our assets relating to this portion of our business or in connection with a merger, consolidation, change in control, reorganization or liquidation. We also reserve the right to disclose any information concerning you if required by law or to protect or defend our rights or the rights or well-being of our users or if you are involved (or are reasonably suspected to be involved) in any illegal activity, even without a subpoena, warrant or court order.

3. Opt-Out:

If you would like to opt not to receive promotional or marketing material from us in the future, please send an e-mail to opt-out@insuranceshoppingnetwork.com. However, your option not to receive promotional and marketing material: (a) shall not preclude us from corresponding with you, by e-mail or otherwise, regarding your existing or past relationship with us (e.g., your pending or past applications or our responses to questions or inquiries you pose to us), and (b) shall not preclude us, including our employees, contractors, agents and other representatives, from accessing and viewing your personal information in the course of maintaining and improving the Site.

4. Security:

The application form on the Site supports encryption to help protect the security of your transfer of data to the Site. Although we will take all reasonable security precautions regarding information stored on the Site, due to the open nature of the Internet, we cannot guarantee that any information stored on our servers, or transmitted to or from a user, will be free from unauthorized access, and we disclaim any liability for any theft or loss of, unauthorized access or damage to, or interception of any data or communications. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to assume these risks.

5. Consent to Processing:

By providing any personal information to this Site, you fully understand and unambiguously consent to the transfer of such personal information to, and the collection and processing of such personal information in, the United States and other countries or territories.

By submitting this information you are authorizing Brokers, Agents, discount program representatives and/or Insurance Professionals in the AllStatesCarInsurance.com network to contact you directly with quotes via telephone, fax, and email, regardless of the presence of your phone number(s) on any local or national no-call list.

6. Links:

This Site may contain links or references to other Web sites outside of our control. Please be aware that we have no control over these sites and our privacy policy does not apply to these sites.

7. Your Acceptance of this Policy:

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions from this policy at any time so visitors are encouraged to review this policy from time to time. Your continued use of our Site following the posting of changes to these terms means you accept these changes.

Should you have any other questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us.

“So there I was trying out for the cheerleaders. Going for a big move, I slipped and fell awkwardly. Twisted my knee real bad. Not being like the girl in Heroes, that meant an ambulance to the emergency room. Called my Dad on the way. He came over only expecting health problems. Turns out, he had to pay for all the treatment on his credit card.”

Melanie’s knee made a full recovery, but the family’s still feeling the pain of the unexpected debt. The moral of this story? Always check your existing policy. Most of the colleges and universities either have their own medical insurance policies or can point you in the right direction if your children are going to be without cover. The policies are basic healthcare, but get them through all the common health crises. When it comes to your children’s health, it’s not worth taking risks. If they fall sick and don’t have cover, they may not get treatment early enough. Always read your current policy carefully. Don’t be taken by surprise. Shop around for medical insurance on the internet. There are many economical policies aimed at the student market both for university and doctoral courses that can take some of the worry off your shoulders when they leave the nest and go live on campus.

Then the stock markets went south and all his plans changed. “I’ve been looking more carefully at Medicare. The cover’s not so bad, so I’m looking at policies to top up the cover to get the best budgeted treatments whenever possible.” He smiled. “I’ve been doing the round of the same agents. Boy, were they pleased to see me again.” We talked about whether he was using the internet. “I’ve been following the AARP’s campaign, Divided We Fail, and their plans for an HMO for Medicare folk like me look interesting. I’ve been using the online sites to get quotes as well. It’s more effort because not all of them are set up to do specialized cover for the elderly, but there’ve been some interesting quotes.”

Dave’s been a revelation. He has plenty of experience in planning his financial affairs and has been playing the field when it comes to getting quotes. As more savvy people start looking for Medigap policies, the market is likely to get more competitive and the existing discounts and incentives are likely to improve. When actual retirement is coming up, look round carefully for the right cover for you.

“The health insurance was the first thing we cut. That and selling the second car to pay off the credit cards.” Gordon was finding it hard to talk about it, so Mary took up the running.

“We were embarrassed. Didn’t want to tell anyone we were having financial problems.” She looked round their home with pride. “We worked hard for all this. . . We tried to keep up appearances.”

“When Doug, that’s our youngest got sick, we didn’t know what to do for the best. Mary wanted to go down to the Emergency Room at the first sign of trouble but, like I said, it wasn’t an emergency. Not at first.”

“In the end, I asked at work. It was a real benefit to be working for an attorney who cared. I became an instant expert on the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. With two uninsured kids under 19, we qualified under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). We were able to get both kids covered and Doug got the treatment he needed before things got too serious for him.”

At least Mary had someone to ask. No matter what your situation, you should never let pride get in the way of your responsibility to your children. There are plenty of people and agencies around to ask. Remember, if you don’t ask for help, you never get any.

To get HIPAA coverage, your most recent cover must have been through a health plan. In total, you must have had at least eighteen months of continuous coverage. There must be no entitlement under Medicaid or Medicare and you must have used up all your entitlement under COBRA. If you give notice under HIPAA within 63 days of losing your health plan coverage, you have the right to buy cover. The health insurers cannot refuse you a health policy based on your medical history or pre-existing condition, nor can they change you a higher premium to deter you. In fact, many states have laws to limit what health insurers can charge in this situation. Thus, you have a right to get health insurance for you and your family and the premiums may be controlled. This is something you should investigate. Here health insurance online quotes may be of great use for you.

There are also privacy provisions to help keep your personal medical history confidential while making it available to the “right” people to give you health insurance and handle claims for treatment. HIPAA sets out national standards for handling health data to reduce the risks that your data is lost or stolen. There are also penalties if your data is sent to an unauthorized person. In theory, this is supposed to make doctors, healthcare providers and hospitals more accountable if something goes wrong. As a first step, you have the right to a copy of your health records. Most data processors make a handling charge for preparing the copy, but it is usually small. You also have the right to know who has seen your data and you can lay down limits on access. It’s in your interests to take an active interest. You should maintain the accuracy of your records and ensure that only authorized individuals are allowed to access it in appropriate circumstances.

The headline. If you’ve been wise with your money, you’ll probably survive. It’s a rerun of Aesop’s fable called The Ant and the Grasshopper. The grasshopper spends all summer singing whilst the ant toils to fill his home with food for the winter. When it gets cold, the grasshopper dies of hunger. This is a dramatic way of telling you it’s better to make save and preparations for the worst before the worst happens. If nothing happens, you’re actually better off all round.

Let’s start off with the most vital question. What’s going to happen to your group health plan? All this time, you’ve been sheltered from the hard world of personal health insurance . What are you entitled to receive? Leaving to one side the questions of your severance pay, unemployment compensation and whether your employer will pay for outplacement services to help you find your next job, look at health insurance coverage through COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985).

All employees, their spouses and dependents have a right to continue coverage under the basic group health plans (both medical and dental) for eighteen or thirty-six months. Wellness plans, life insurance, savings accounts and disability plans are excluded. So long as your employer had twenty or more employees, and terminates you without a justification of gross misconduct, the rights will probably apply. Your employer should have sent you and your spouse a notice about your rights. If your spouse and children are covered under the plan, they have separate rights to claim COBRA coverage.

You all have sixty days from the date coverage under the plan ends to elect for coverage under COBRA. You must make your first premium payment within forty-five days and thereafter at regular monthly intervals. You will lose coverage if you miss a payment. If there is a slight shortfall in the amount, i.e. $50 or 10% of the premium, your employer cannot terminate. This means it is always better to send some money rather than no money. If you are short, you get an additional thirty days to make up the payment. Use this breathing space to find new employment, secure in the knowledge that your health insurance needs are covered. That is, assuming you have laid the money by like Aesop’s ant.

This leaves you with self-treatment (not always so reliable) or one of the alternatives. Starting in drugstores and now spreading, there are a new run of walk-in retail clinics staffed by nurse practitioners. These are open 24/7 and offer basic treatment for non-threatening conditions for a set fee. An increasing number of health insurance companies cover visits to these clinics for a modest copayment. Check out the wording on your policy.

If your injuries or sickness are more serious, you can try one of the urgent-care centers/clinics. These are staffed by physicians but their opening times are limited to nights and weekends. They are not open 24/7! But, as with the retail clinics, more insurance companies will cover a visit for a copayment.

Why is the emergency room the last on this list? Well there are two main reasons. The first is that waiting times are growing ever longer in hospitals as more people head in there for treatment. If this is not a major emergency, you will get treatment faster in an urgent-care center. More importantly, the copayments required in a hospital tend to start at $100 and go up.

Big warning: if you go to an emergency room and your health insurer does not classify your problem as an emergency, you have to pay the whole bill for treatment. So what are emergencies? If the injury is acute or the sickness serious, there is unlikely to be a problem. It is always better to be safe than sorry. But it’s not an emergency if you have a throat infection or your chest is wheezing. Minor skin problems, bug bites or problems in sleeping will not be covered. If you do have a chronic condition, the symptoms must have significantly worsened if this is to be an emergency. It’s almost impossible to count having a prescription refilled as an emergency.

Why is this happening? Well, let’s come down to a short list. The economy is not in great shape. The population is ageing and, as people get older, more goes wrong with their bodies. New technology is producing new treatments but that is often more expensive. The pharmaceutical industry keeps raising prices to maintain its profitability. Put all the causes together and you have a broken system. The real problems start with the “entitlement” trap. Because people pay their insurance premiums out of their own pockets, they feel they’re entitled to get all the medical care they like. This leads to a significant amount of waste as health providers supply expensive services on demand regardless whether those services are needed. Mostly, the providers are driven by the need to make profits to keep their investors happy, and not by the patients’ needs. This makes general medical care unaffordable and shifts ever more of the costs on to the insurance companies and the tax payers. Health insurance premiums therefore go up. The Republican approach is to reduce taxes which makes funding public health provision more difficult.

If people are uninsured, they wait longer to see a physician or go to an emergency room when their conditions have worsened. What could have been treated early on for less money suddenly becomes a bigger bill as costs are higher in emergency rooms. Why are costs higher? Because a significant proportion of patients cannot pay. The hospitals costs therefore have to be recovered from those who have the money or still carry insurance. The moral of this story is for political parties to have the will to fix the problems.