Health insurance can provide you with peace of mind. It protects you by covering much of what you would be expected to pay should you need medical care, sparing you in most cases the burden of paying the full costs for your care.
You purchase insurance by paying a monthly premium, which may be covered completely or in part by your employer. Even if you don’t get insurance through your work, you can generally still buy individual coverage for yourself and your family.
Health insurance covers you not only for the unexpected, like a trip to the emergency room, but it can also cover preventive care like routine mammograms and doctor visits for annual checkups. Some types of insurance also cover all or some part of the cost of prescriptions as well as dental and vision care.