The need for inexpensive insurance is growing in America, and there are plenty of places to lay the blame. Some people simply don’t make enough money. Health insurance premiums, for example, can end up taking too big of a bite out of a family’s monthly paycheck. It’s not uncommon for a family to simply have to choose making the mortgage or rent payment over getting health coverage.

As difficult as it may be to believe, some families make too much money to afford insurance. The problem here is that while these working families earn too much money to qualify for certain inexpensive insurance options, they still don’t bring in enough to afford the higher-cost plans. It’s a catch-22 that is affecting millions of Americans right now.

As of 2008, there were 25 million “underinsured” citizens in the United States. These individuals and families may have some health coverage, but it is not at an adequate level for their needs, and their out-of-pocket costs are way out of proportion for their income. There are several methods used to determine who is “underinsured,” including:

For people below 200 percent of the poverty level, spending more than 5% of their income on out-of-pocket costs.

For those above 200 percent of the poverty level, spending more than 10% of their income on out-of-pocket costs.

Paying deductibles of 5% or more of the family income.

Those same people who are considered to be underinsured also have a higher likelihood of not receiving needed medical attention, as well as having trouble paying for costs that are incurred. Not only that, but their deductibles are often quite high, adding to the financial burden.

Inexpensive insurance is a necessity for folks in this situation. Unfortunately, those who are underinsured tend to have very similar experiences to those who don’t have any insurance at all. For example, they often forego diagnostic tests that might help them, as well as to skip filling prescriptions because the drugs are just too expensive.

When choosing an inexpensive insurance plan, it is helpful for the customer to move forward in a way that offers the best benefit. While most people are pointing to the number of Americans who are currently uninsured, it is just as amazing to realize that millions who do have some coverage are still falling through the cracks due to this phenomenon of being underinsured.