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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

 The three Montana companies that offer health insurance policies on the individual marketplace are proposing reduced rates in 2020, in part because of the reinsurance program. — USA TODAY, "Burro bandits, sugarcane shake-up, naked bike ride: News from around our 50 states," 26 Aug. 2019 State insurance regulators released their annual list of approved health insurance plans for 2020 on Friday, projecting no change to the average cost of premiums. — Naseem S. Miller, orlandosentinel.com, "No change to Obamacare premiums in 2020 in Florida," 22 Aug. 2019 In addition, the employees will have to pay a larger share of health insurance premiums the last two years of the contract. — Daniel I. Dorfman, chicagotribune.com, "Glencoe to take out $1.5 million in bonds for Tudor Court repairs," 22 Aug. 2019 Two more companies are seeking to enter Florida’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges in 2020, and unlike in previous years, returning companies are not seeking large premium hikes. — Ron Hurtibise, sun-sentinel.com, "Two new Obamacare insurers proposed for Florida in 2020," 19 Aug. 2019 Surprise medical bills are usually high-dollar charges for medical services that patients didn't know were outside of their health insurance network. — Dallas News, "Texas legislature's fix to surprise health care bills still leaves millions vulnerable," 19 Aug. 2019 In the breach, an ASU office sent bulk emails about health insurance renewal to students without masking the identity of recipients, according to the university. — Rachel Leingang, azcentral, "ASU exposed student email addresses in health privacy breach," 19 Aug. 2019 America's health insurance model has evolved to minimize patient payment at the point of service. — Scott W. Atlas For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Trump's push to make health care prices more transparent is long overdue," 19 Aug. 2019 This record shows not merely that a single state can protect the stability of its individual health insurance market in the face of determined sabotage at the federal level. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: California shows all states how to protect patients from Trump’s attacks on Obamacare," 16 Aug. 2019

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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First Known Use of health insurance

1901, in the meaning defined above

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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

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