If you were to pinpoint the largest issue in the healthcare system in the United States today, you would have to look past the 47 million Americans who are currently uninsured. The real issue in our healthcare system is cost, and the level at which the cost effects the system is much larger than it has ever been before.

In the last eight years, healthcare premiums have gone up over 98% while the average national wage has come nowhere near that. The issue isn't as much availability of healthcare coverage, it's affordability, as one in six Americans are uninsured because they can't afford the premiums. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll from October 2007 had shown that American's were more worried about keeping their healthcare coverage then they are about losing their job, house, or even being in a terrorist attack.

What many seem to over look is that these issues stretches past the individual and goes directly to the corporations that insure their employees and the federal government as well. A group known as Better Health Care Together, which includes major corporations such as Intel, Wal-Mart, and General Mills have stated in their report entitled Health-Cost Crossroad: Why American Businesses Urgently Need Health Care Reform that "if trends continue, health benefit costs will exceed profits in Fortune 500 companies in 2008.". The outlook on the government side is also grim, as these current trends are leading towards 37% of the GDP going towards healthcare by 2050. Compare that to the fact that the federal government in it's entirety only consumes 20% of the GDP currently.

While it seems that the United States is realizing exactly how dangerous of a direction this nations healthcare system is continuing towards, Americans should not sit around and wait for a solution. With the current state of the economy as it is, the best solution is to research available options for you and your family as preemptive protection from going without proper healthcare coverage. Ranging from government benefits programs to patient assistance programs, there are solutions available provided by your local, state, or federal government, and not to mention the pharmaceutical companies.

For those worried about prescription medications, looking into patient assistance programs and prescription discount cards would allow you to rest a little easier. Search through our comprehensive database of prescription assistance programs, locate the medications that you are currently taking and bookmark them for future reference. Some of them you may be eligible for now, others require you to be uninsured.

Also, at YourRxCard.com or CountyRxCard.com, you can register for their free prescription discount card. As this service is free of charge and allows you to save on your prescription medications regardless of whether you have coverage or not, you'll now have all of your prescription related worries completely accounted for.

There are many government benefits programs, free clinics, and community clinics that you may be eligible for as well. Similar to the patient assistance programs, the government benefits programs offer you assistance with your healthcare needs if you are eligible for them. We have a full list of all available programs that can be searched by state, allowing you to determine what programs would be most beneficial for you. PatientAssistance.com has also provided detailed information on free and community healthcare clinics. By knowing which ones are around your area and what services they can provide you, there will be less risk of going without medical attention if the worst case scenario does occur.

The American people are in a tough time healthcare wise, and PatientAssistance is here to help. If you have any questions or require assistance with any of the services we offer, please make use of our forum and we will quickly respond to your questions and comments.