Americans are finding the cost of health insurance increasing, so that the need for affordable health care is on the rise. Workers are being hit hard by employers anxious to save money on their premiums by reducing cover or passing on the rises in cost. I am one of those people affected by these rises because a couple of years ago my company's health care plan was changed, resulting in fewer benefits. This was a shock to everyone; being told that the health care provider was going to be replaced because the cost was too great.

To make the system fair to everyone, the health care provider would need to change. I suppose some people are better off and perhaps I shouldn't sound ungrateful. It's not that I'm against other workers getting a good deal but they are now taking twice the amount out of my salary so that my husband and daughter are covered. Lower cost cover may be available for all my colleagues now plus the company has saved money but if I want to keep my family on the plan, I will have to settle for a lower income.

I liked the previous company and so far I am not as impressed with the new one although the health care plan doesn't seem that bad. Increased out of pocket expenses and higher co-pays and less money in our paychecks are the result of my company's change to an affordable health care provider. I am sure of this because just over 2 years ago when I had my little boy, the stay in hospital was completely covered by my insurance policy. Today, if I had a baby, it would cost me around four thousand dollars for my expenses.

But, this doesn't include the additional amounts taken out of my paycheck, only the hospital costs. There is obviously a market for these schemes because more and more affordable health care options are becoming available. Options now exist for people that are not supplied with a health provision where they work, and now single mothers have access to plans which they can join; some people can even have free health care. Whilst I appreciate these programs because they are saving lives and helping people to grow stronger and healthier, some people take advantage of them.

Those programs should be for struggling families who are taking steps to better their futures, not for people who have no motivation and live off of the state systems and affordable health care programs. We all have a responsibility to help those less fortunate but those who abuse the system put extra financial pressure on the rest of us. My employer definitely found advantages in finding a lower cost health plan provider for their employees! However, their money saving technique wasn't good news to employees because suddenly we were making up for their cost cutting endeavor - by seeing less money in our paychecks. If we are to help the worst affected, we need to start looking at long term options for Americans in providing cost effective, affordable health care