Sun Editorial: Want cheaper health insurance?

It’s no secret that health insurance is expensive. Thanks to Obamacare, health insurance is more obtainable for Americans, but for most of us, the cost of health insurance — especially through employer-sponsored plans — continues to rise.

There’s nothing that we, or our employers, can do about it, unfortunately. Now that we are required to have health insurance, we can’t just say, “screw it, I’ll take a chance and have no insurance.” We are required to pay up…and up and up and up.

So what can we do? What is in our control? The obvious answer: Our health.

The healthier we are, the less likely we will need to use our health insurance. And the less we need to use our health insurance, the more likely the cost of our health insurance will go down in the future.

Take a look at your health insurance plan, and at others that those around you have. Most likely, there are incentives for living a healthy lifestyle. Join a gym, go three times a week, and you get a discount on said gym membership. Why? Because the healthier we are, the less it costs to insure us.

Getting healthier starts at home, with the food we eat. And the food that is available for us to eat is getting better all around us.

A great place to start for healthier options is a local farmers market. They’re popping up everywhere, if you haven’t noticed.

There are farm markets everywhere, and there are also countless farm stands and farmers market special events that take place from spring through fall.

Never been to a farmers market? It’s worth the trip. Not only can you buy fresh, local produce that is often cheaper than the supermarkets, you can also get great ideas and lessons on how to use the products you buy.

In addition to learning more about a healthy lifestyle, and purchasing goods that can help you do so, visiting a local farmers market is also a nice change-of-pace for the summer.

So get up, go out and support local farmers and stores by visiting your local farmers market. It will be well worth the trip, now and in the future.