health insurance

American  

noun

1. insurance that compensates the insured for expenses or loss incurred for medical reasons, as through illness or hospitalization.

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Etymology

Origin of health insurance

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Since they weren’t, four health insurance companies pocketed between $100 million to $500 million in claims they never had to pay.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Compared with the CPI, which only includes urban consumers, the PCE also measures rural households and spending done on behalf of consumers, including employer-provided health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

They will now be entitled to health insurance, rest days and pensions.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

The cost for a knee surgery was $2,700, including an overnight stay in the hospital, and my health insurance covered $2,300.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

I don’t know much about health insurance, but I know that my Social Security number is my ID number, so I put that down.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Related Words

• Medicare