Medical care is extremely expensive. A day in the hospital can cost $1,000 or more. A visit to the doctor can run $100 to $300. Some operations cost tens of thousands of dollars. Health insurance exists to help pay these bills. It gives you vital protection against the unpredictable expenses of serious illness, accident or injury - expenses that can wipe out your savings or even bankrupt you. It also helps pay for routine visits to the doctor to keep you healthy. In recent years, health insurance has become much more complicated.
There are many more types of insurance, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs)-also known as managed care plans. Many businesses offer employees an array of health insurance choices. Medicare and Medicaid- the government health insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and low-income Americans- are also changing rapidly. At the same time, health insurance has become a "hot" political topic. Lawmakers in Washington and across the nation have been debating for years how best to increase the number of people who have health insurance and to make coverage more affordable.
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