Most Americans get health insurance from their employers and never think too much about it until they or a family member develops a serious health problem. That's when they first learn the details of their health insurance benefits, which medical providers they can use, and what their out of pocket expenses will be. In an ideal world, this is how it should be. You should not need a book on health insurance solutions any more than you need a book on life insurance, car insurance, or property insurance. Sadly, this is not the case.

Healthcare costs now consume almost one-sixth of America's economy, and, during your lifetime, medical and health insurance costs are likely to be your largest or second largest expense after housing. That's if you're lucky enough to have health insurance. However, even if you have health insurance your traditional employer-sponsored plan is arguably the number one threat to your financial future. The problems with our current health insurance system are many, following are a few:

• Up to 1 million mostly middle- and upper-middle-class families file bankruptcy each year due to medical bills they can't pay---yet amazingly, three-quarters of these families had health insurance when they became ill.
• Tens of millions of Americans are modern day slaves, unable to retire early, or working in jobs they don't really want, just for the health insurance they need to take care of themselves, a spouse, or a child with "pre existing conditions".

The purpose of health insurance is to provide financial relief when a large, unexpected medical expense occurs. Millions of employers offer health insurance to their employees that theoretically will cover such expenses. But health insurance plans provided by an employer typically terminate when you leave (or lose) your job. If you contract a major illness, you are likely to lose your job, lose your health insurance, and lose control of your finances.

Contact me to find out how to protect your self. jerry@insurancelocker.com

Part 1 of 2