health insurance

noun

Definition of health insurance

: insurance against loss through illness of the insured especially : insurance providing compensation for medical expenses

Examples of health insurance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite all the hoopla about Obamacare and its individual plans, most working-age Americans still get their health insurance through their employers. — Robert Verbruggen, National Review, "Trump Is Expanding Obamacare . . . in a Good Way," 16 June 2019 The program is included as a part of several healthcare plans for seniors, including Medicare, and is currently available to 15.8 million seniors at no extra cost to their health insurance, the SilverSneakers site said. — Taylor Hartz, Naperville Sun, "No lounging around for this retiree — Naperville woman's physical activity has led to nomination for national award," 15 June 2019 More than two dozen Stanford sailors and parents wrote letters to the judge in support of Mr. Vandemoer, who lost his livelihood, his health insurance and more, noted Robert Fisher, one of Mr. Vandemoer’s lawyers. — New York Times, "Stanford Coach Avoids Prison in Admissions Scandal. Have Colleges Avoided Blame?," 12 June 2019 The company that provides your health insurance can also give you some referrals. — Dear Abby, oregonlive.com, "Dear Abby: Husband of 30 years tells wife he never loved her, didn’t want to marry her," 11 June 2019 The company that provides your health insurance can also give you some referrals. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, "Dear Abby: After 30 years, husband says marriage isn’t what he wanted," 11 June 2019 Cabán stayed at her job until March, then took a leave of absence and gave up her health insurance. — Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker, "Tiffany Cabán’s Feminist Coalition," 4 June 2019 Should your employer really determine your health insurance? — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Is employer-sponsored insurance really a good deal for workers?," 7 Feb. 2019 Also, the Trump Organization canceled his health insurance at one point, costing him the equivalent of $11,000. — Mckenna Moore, Fortune, "Donald Trump Is Sued by Former Driver for Overtime Pay," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'health insurance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about health insurance

Dictionary Entries near health insurance

health maintenance organization

Statistics for health insurance

Last Updated

20 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for health insurance

The first known use of health insurance was in 1901

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for health insurance

health insurance

noun

Financial Definition of health insurance

What It Is

Health insurance is insurance that covers some or all of the costs of an individuals healthcare.

How It Works

Health insurance absorbs or offsets healthcare costs associated with, but not limited to, routine health examinations, specialist referral visits, inpatient and outpatient surgery, unforeseen eventualities such as illnesses or injuries, and prescription medication. Health insurance policies are categorized as privately paid for by an individual, publicly provided as a service through Social Security, or commercially arranged by a company as part of an employee benefit package.

Broader levels of health insurance coverage generally have higher premium costs. In many cases, the insured party is responsible for paying his/her healthcare provider an up-front, tax deductible amount called co-pay. Health insurance companies then may compensate healthcare providers directly or reimburse the policy holder based on the remaining portion of an itemized bill.

Why It Matters

Health insurance primarily protects individuals from the prohibitively high costs of surgical procedures, inpatient hospital care, and emergency attention. Though health insurance itself can become costly for a family, it is only a small fraction of the potential costs associated with unforeseen illnesses and emergencies (for example, the diagnosis and treatment of cancer or a heart attack).

Source: Investing Answers

health insurance

noun

Medical Definition of health insurance

: insurance against loss through illness of the insured especially : insurance providing compensation for medical expenses

health insurance

noun

Legal Definition of health insurance

: insurance against loss through illness or injury of the insured especially : insurance providing compensation for medical expenses and often income for disability