The Catch 22 of Health Insurance

Many families make too much money to qualify for assistance, but on the other hand paying for individual policies breaks the bank as well.  BD

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Volunteer firefighter Cindy Holland has no medical insurance, and her husband's health benefits as a full-time paramedic do not extend to family members, so she and their three children go without.

The hard-working Northern California family makes too much money to qualify for public health insurance but too little to afford a private policy, caught in a Catch 22 that puts many U.S. workers at risk of financial ruin.

"It would kill us financially to do the insurance -- if we want to keep a roof over our head and food in my kids. You end up rolling the dice," said Cindy, a California native who works a pair of part-time jobs on top of firefighting.

That number is widely believed to be higher today as healthcare costs skyrocket, employers slash worker benefits and insurers gut coverage and cherry-pick the healthiest customers.

Source: Health care crisis squeezes working families | Health | Reuters