The type of insurance that pays for a person's medical expenses is known as health insurance. It can be purchased as premiums so the holder is defended from medical expenses due to illness or injury. A person can purchase social insurance, the insurance that is sponsored by the government, or receive insurance from a private insurance company. Plans such as these can be purchased by an individual or in group packages by companies as benefits to their employees.



The price of healthcare is estimated by the amount of risk the insurance holder has to be in need of medical care. A young healthy insurance holder will likely have a lower premium than an elderly holder who is more likely to fall victim to illness or injury.

Health insurance works by a person buying a policy from the insurance company. A policy is the contract agreed upon by the insurance company and the policy holder. The contract can be paid for monthly or annually. The amount paid by the insurance holder to the company is called the premium.

The process of health insurance works by an insurance company selling a policy to the insurance holder. A policy is the contract between the insurance company and the individual purchasing the insurance. The contract can be renewed monthly or annually. The amount paid by the insurance holder to the company is called the premium.

The amount the holder of the insurance must pay in order for the company to pay its share is called a deductible. In some cases a co-payment must be paid by the holder with their own money. This could be done each time the insurance holder has to go to a doctor for a checkup. This can all be avoided by the insurance holder by purchasing coinsurance. With this plan the holder pays only a certain percentage of the total cost of their medical expenses.

All policies have exclusions and limits. Not all services are covered by the insurance company. If a situation occurs in which the medical expenses are not covered the insurance holder will be forced to pay the entirety of the bill out of pocket. When the medical expenses of the insurance holder exceed the amount agreed upon in the policy the holder will be forced to pay the remainder of the bill.

Out-of-pocket maximums are almost he opposite of coverage limits. This maximum is the amount that a policy holder is allowed to pay out of pocket, after this amount is exceeded the holders obligation stops. Capitation is the amount of money paid by the insurance company to the health care provider. A provider on a list of healthcare providers that are selected previously by the insurance company is called an in-network provider. When a healthcare provider is used that is on the list the policy holder can receive discounts or additional benefits to their policy.

Moral hazard is a problem faced by insurance companies and policy holders everywhere. Moral hazard occurs when the healthcare provider and the insurance holder agree to tests that are deemed unnecessary by the insurance company. Most of the time the insurance company is still forced to pay for the expenses but this can cause problems between the company and the insurance holder in the future.