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

An appointment to have your IUD removed typically costs around $150-$250 without health insurance. — refinery29.com, "Rushing To Get An IUD? Don't Forget This Important Factor," 11 July 2018 Furthermore, this figure does not include undiagnosed addicts or addicts without health insurance. — Katrine Jo Andersen, The New Republic, "Rejected by A.A.," 27 June 2018 About 9 percent of children are living without health insurance, down from 14 percent in 2010, according to federal statistics, but well above the national average of 4 percent. — Catherine Marfin, San Antonio Express-News, "Study: Texas ranks 43rd in child well-being," 26 June 2018 Doug Morin directs Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic that serves individuals without health insurance, filling a gap in a region where the doctor-to-population ratio is more than four times federal recommendations. — Gabriel Thompson, Longreads, "Coachella, Underground," 12 Apr. 2018 More funding in the state has led to increased opportunities for screening for people without health insurance, according to the department. — Lauren Castle, azcentral, "U.K. man contracts drug-resistant gonorrhea; Arizona sees rise in cases," 6 Apr. 2018 Last week, Bloomberg News told the story of three families without health insurance. — John Tozzi, Bloomberg.com, "What It’s Like Living Without Health Insurance in America," 3 Apr. 2018 Thirty-nine million Americans live in poverty, 41 million collect food stamps and 27.5 million are without health insurance. — Mark Daly, idahostatesman, "If we let them, states might eventually solve the health care puzzle | Idaho Statesman," 28 Mar. 2018 But the law has brought the percentage of people without health insurance to historic lows. — Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Latest lawsuit against Obamacare may be more about politics than the health law, critics contend," 2 Mar. 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.

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Dictionary Entries near health insurance

health maintenance organization

Statistics for health insurance

Last Updated

10 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for health insurance

The first known use of health insurance was in 1901

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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