Health insurance is the best way to get you a nice room and bed in the hospital with some dignity and respect. Sometimes we also lose our loved ones whom we could save with proper treatment at the right time.
In the last post, we discussed the importance of insurance and why you should not mix insurance with investment. If you have not read that article yet, I ask you to please read that post before reading this article. In this article, we will specifically talk about health insurance and why we should have to buy it?
Stories are a great medium to learn something, so let’s understand the importance of having health insurance with two real-life stories which happened to me and my friend.
Story 1 (Health Insurance Saved us)
My parents are also like most of the people who don’t understand the importance of saving money, having an emergency fund, buying insurance, etc. They earn well and spend all of it and then wait for the month to get the paycheck again. It sounds like our own story. Most of us are also living the same life. No saving, no money, just living paycheck to paycheck. But this doesn’t mean my parents are not educated. They both are well educated having post-graduation degrees who love their family a lot. Sorry, Mother and father but I have to say that you aren’t financially educated.
So, one day I was in my office and suddenly I got the news that my mother is ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. My father was very worried since he didn’t have any money left in his account as this was the month-end. He was afraid to admit her to the nearby private hospital as it would cost a lot of money. But thanks to me I already had purchased health insurance covering both of my parents. I contacted the insurance company and they did the rest of the finance-related work. Finally, she got admitted and was treated well in the hospital. Believe me, this is a harsh truth that if you don’t have money then you are not treated well and don’t give proper treatment. My mother recovered soon. Since this incident, my parents understood the importance of having health insurance.
Story 2 (Loss of Life)
Not all stories end with a happy ending. It is the story of my close friend. Her father was seriously ill and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They have not bought any health insurance and neither their financial condition was that good. So, he had to depend on government health care and hospitals. There he was not treated well, when he visited the hospital for an appointment they said – “ beds are not available so visit next week”. Time flew quickly and his health deteriorated with each passing. Even they tried to contact the chief minister via email to get some help but it was all wasted. No help was provided by the government. Now his condition was so bad that he needed help even to take his food. After waiting for about 1 year he was referred to another hospital and finally he was admitted. But this was too late for him. In the end, he lost his life by fighting the disease. He could have been saved if he got the right treatment at the right time. He was not that sick when he was knocking on the doors of the hospitals to get him admitted for treatment. But the lack of finance made him lose his life.
So, did you understand why it is the most important thing to get health insurance? If you want to get treatment with some respect and dignity then believe me either you must have a lot of money in your bank that you don’t care about the finance or either good health insurance would protect you from such bad events.
I have seen many similar stories where someone lost their loved ones just because they didn’t have the money to get treatment. Sometimes they had to sell all their properties and assets or even had to take a lot of loans which took years to be paid. So, act wisely for yourself and your loved ones to give them the protection of health insurance if you don’t want to face similar situations as in story 2. I know how painful it is to face the government problems in the hospitals where your dignity and self-respect are ruined in a matter of minutes. It is a harsh truth, my friend. Be prepared already.
Share this article as much as possible to spread financial awareness among your friends and family members so that they are also safe and protected against life’s worst conditions. May God bless us all!
