Health Topics
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Basics
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Summary
Health insurance helps protect you from high medical care costs. It is a contract between you and your insurance company. You buy a plan or policy, and the company agrees to pay part of your expenses when you need medical care.
Many people in the United States get a health insurance policy through their employers. In most cases, the employer helps pay for that insurance. Insurance through employers is often with a managed care plan. These plans contract with health care providers and medical facilities to provide care for members at reduced costs. You can also purchase health insurance on your own.
People who meet certain requirements can qualify for government health insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage for many people in the U.S.
Related Issues
- How to Get Help with Medical Expenses (General Services Administration)
Statistics and Research
- Health Insurance Data (Bureau of the Census)
- Key Facts about the Uninsured Population (KFF)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Disparities in invasive pneumococcal disease, pneumonia, and otitis media among US...
- Article: Designing a performance-based payment model for physicians at outpatient clinics contracted...
- Article: Use of total knee arthroplasty by type of public insurance scheme:...
- Health Insurance -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- HealthCare.gov (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Health Insurance Basics (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- How to choose a health plan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Savings account for health care costs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Understanding health insurance plans (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Understanding your health care costs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Understanding your hospital bill (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.