Insurance Basics: Home

What Young Adults Need to Know about Health Insurance

Skipping health insurance may seem like you’re saving money in the short run—especially if you’re young and healthy. But the cost of getting care without health insurance can be more than you expect. An unforeseen hospital stay, for example, can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

What Young Adults Need to Know about Health Insurance
The Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 makes it easier for many Americans to get health insurance. It also expands the services that health plans need to cover.

The Affordable Care Act
Palliative Care and Shared Decision Making

Palliative care is medical care that tries to relieve discomfort and stress for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on improving quality of life for patients and their families. Palliative care doesn’t try to cure the illness.

Paying for Orthodontics (Braces)

Orthodontics is the field of dentistry that fixes misaligned teeth and jaws using braces and other corrective procedures. Many dental plans cover orthodontics, but the coverage often differs from other dental services.

Experimental Treatments and Clinical Trials

Most health plans don´t cover treatments they regard as “experimental”. Sometimes, they may deny a claim for such a treatment.

Getting Care from a Medical Home

A medical home is a type of doctor´s practice that uses a team to focus on the “whole person”. It is sometimes called a patient-centered medical home (PCMH).