In the race to meet our daily needs, excel in our professional lives and provide the best for our loved ones, we sometimes neglect our most important asset – our health and in effect our lives. Changes in lifestyle, increased levels of stress, negligible physical activity and a deteriorating environment due to rapid urbanization, health issues have not just escalated, they have increasingly become more complex in nature and expensive to manage in the society of today.

It has also become increasingly difficult to predict what medical bills will be yearly with the instabilities of the economy seen with the recent recession. In some years, costs may be low. In other years, they go very high.

What does a health insurance plan actually do for you? You probably hear about it all the time, whether on television, in magazines, and other media. Health insurance is an extremely helpful part of life if you can set yourself up with a plan that will benefit you and yours for minimal cost. Health insurance helps cover the costs of unpredictable, unexpected and fundamentally uncontrollable problems that come up in people’s lives and offers many other important benefits. Its meant to protect your financial assets, as well as promote wellness and health.

Still wondering if you should get health insurance, here are 5 reasons why you should not go without one this year.

1. You never know when you might get sick

No one plans to get sick or hurt, but you will definitely need medical care at some point. It’s easy to think that you don’t need health insurance when you are healthy, but unfortunately, accidents can happen to anyone. By getting a health insurance cover, you are getting security for you and your family for any unforeseen medical or health issues that may arise.

2. Save on medical bills

By opting for a health insurance policy, you can ensure your health never gets in the way of your finances. You may be healthy now, but the onset of a sudden or serious illness or a traumatic event can leave you with staggering medical bills. Health insurance does not just protect your health, it also protects your wallet. No matter what type of insurance you have, you are able to save money on appointments and medications covered by your plan.

3. Get preventive, routine or long-term care

Having a health insurance cover guarantees you benefit from preventive measures like screenings and vaccines, routine check-ups as well as emergency treatment covered by your insurer who has your medical history on their database and can provide it to any hospital you specify. This also guarantees you continuity of treatment for long-term conditions.

4. Access to better health care and other benefits

A key feature of health insurance plans is the list of benefits it affords. There is a link between having health insurance and getting better health care. People with health insurance can get access to a variety of regular health care services that they would otherwise have paid heavily for, when and where they need it. From free ambulance services to specialized emergency treatment and even regular medical consultations, health insurance plans provide more value-added services than the alternative would at reduced costs.

5. Protection from unexpected, high medical costs

Having to pay out-of-pocket every time a hospital emergency arises, say to fix a broken leg, for example, can be costly especially when it requires a long hospital stay. Buying health insurance means that you will not have to take on the burden of these risks alone.

We invest in areas of our lives that are important to us. We invest in our education, in our talents, in our families, and in our homes. Since we need our health to take advantage of the great things we love, it is important that we invest in a health insurance plan, to ensure that no critical health status impairs your financial independence.