With the passage and implementation of the nationwide Affordable Care Act, more Americans than ever have health care coverage. What millions of those newly insured people are discovering, though, is that merely having coverage does not guarantee access. Many of the plans available on the Affordable Care Act's various health exchanges, it turns out, come with exceedingly high deductibles and personal health insurance co-pays that can leave their subscribers wondering whether paying the premiums, instead of incurring a tax penalty, is even worth it.

For example, an average Bronze-level plan under the ACA can have an annual deductible of up to $5,000 in many states. In order to obtain any actual, direct coverage under the plan, an individual would need to run up bills exceeding that amount in a year, something that healthy people are generally unlikely to do.

While that might make the ACA seem nearly worthless to the youngest and healthiest Americans, the reality is that there are some less-obvious upsides. One of the most important of these is that, even for those who have not met their annual deductibles, being covered by an insurer means paying lower rates for the whole range of possible health care services. Instead of being subjected to the rates that hospitals and physicians charge the uninsured, those who carry coverage of any sort are charged the much lower prices their insurers negotiate.

Another point in favor of carrying even Bronze-level coverage under the ACA is that there are effective ways of cutting the burdens imposed by high deductibles and co-pays. Healthcare options like an Ardina Membership can help to defray the pain that might normally accompany having a deductible of $5,000 or more.

What systems like Ardina Healthcare do is provide direct access to board-certified physicians and the like, allowing members to circumvent more expensive options that would have them paying toward their annual deductible. Benefits include being able to take care of relatively simple problems that might otherwise cost hundreds of dollars or more, as well as being relieved of the need to worry about provider networks and the like.

Because membership costs for many such programs are so low, they can be a great option for those who are otherwise covered by less-generous ACA health plans. While they will not suffice for major medical emergencies and serious, long-term illnesses, plans of this kind can help to take the financial sting out of routine sicknesses and other relatively common medical issues.