Health insurance in the United States

In the United States, health insurance helps pay for medical expenses through privately purchased insurance, social insurance, or a social welfare program funded by the government. Synonyms for this usage include health coverage, health care coverage, and health benefits.

In a more technical sense, the term "health insurance" is used to describe any form of insurance providing protection against the costs of medical services. This usage includes both private insurance programs and social insurance programs such as Medicare, which pools resources and spreads the financial risk associated with major medical expenses across the entire population to protect everyone, as well as social welfare programs like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, which both provide assistance to people who cannot afford health coverage.

In addition to medical expense insurance, "health insurance" may also refer to insurance covering disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. Different health insurance provides different levels of financial protection and the scope of coverage can vary widely, with more than 40% of insured individuals reporting that their plans do not adequately meet their needs as of 2007.

Major federal regulatory reforms, such as the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 and the Affordable Care Act in 2010, have substantially reduced the number of uninsured Americans. In American politics, the Democratic Party tends to support public expansions in health insurance coverage while the Republican Party opposes it, with Republicans opposing Medicaid Expansion and supporting Affordable Care Act repeal. In 2023, it has been reported that approximately 25.3 million non-elderly Americans lacked health insurance, a decrease compared to 2019.

The United States spends vastly more on health care than comparable countries, which has been attributed in large part to inefficiencies and anti-competitive practices in its health insurance system. Commercial insurance in the US charges prices that are approximately 2.5 times the prices paid by those with public insurance.