The concept of having to buy one’s way out of a health issue is offensive to our morals and sensibilities, but it is more a part of our reality than we realize. Almost all health conditions considerably increase a person’s budget and demand financing. Some people’s conditions require the use of specialists who do not even take health insurance. No matter how highly we value the concept of socialized medicine that is free to the people, the fact remains that we must buy our way out of health problems when they arise.

Many of the most high up specialists do not accept health insurance, or if they do, they only accept preferred policies and providers. This is not good news for people of a low or average income who come down with serious conditions and need the most advanced medical help available. At best, they can hope to be insured by a provider that the specialist they need accepts, but this is unlikely as low to median income earners do not typically invest in premiere insurance coverage. At worst, they will need to come up with the money to see a specialist at out of pocket rates in order to get the treatment they need. Needless to say, this is out of the question to most low to median income earners.

Financing health care is challenging for most people, but no one knows this challenge greater than a low to average income earner who has been diagnosed with a condition that requires the best in medical care. We do not like to think of our health care system as unavailable to people. We like to think that it is there to help anyone who is in need of it. But the fact is, healthcare in America is still for sale. Despite Obamacare, the best of medical services still comes with a price tag that exceeds the average person’s financial abilities.