The soaring cost of medical care and the resulting pressure on health insurance premiums has become a top-priority for employers, employees, the federal government, and recipients of various government health insurance plans.

For most individuals, the loss of pay either permanently or for an extended period of time would be financially devastating. In addition to this, if you become unable to work because of an injury or illness, very often you will require expensive medical care.

Many families choose to not purchase individual health insurance, but to use the medical plan offerred by their employers. This is usually the easiest and the least expensive form of protection.

There are basically two different types of Government Health Insurance programs, Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is a federal insurance program while Medicaid is federally funded but administered by the state.

When evaluating health insurance coverage, there are some basic questions you should ask the insurance agent. These include : Does your insurance provide coverage only for a specified amount per day or does it cover usual, customary costs? Does the plan cover pregnancy? If so, does it cover pregnancy for the unmarried or only for the married employees and their spouse.

Medicaid is a federal and state program that helps pay for health care for the elderly, needy, blind, and disabled. It also provides assistance to low-income families.

For those sixty-five or older, Medicare provides substantial health insurance benefits-whether you are retired or still working. Medicare is designed to cover part of your expenses for short-term, acute medical problems rather than long-term conditions requiring custodial care.

Social Security health coverage consists of several parts of the Medicare Health Insurance Program. Part A, for hospital insurance, is financed through Social Security taxes and is available at no cost to those eligible for Social Security.

There are many different types of health insurance programs, most of which can be divided into three basic areas of protection. The first type of protection is called a fee-for-service indemnity plan and generally provides for hospital, surgical and medical needs, including major medical, comprehensive, catastrophic, and dental plans.