HEG79-102 Health and Disability Insurance Insights

This publication covers the basics of health and disability insurance. Good health is one of the personal goals of almost every individual or family. Because health is so important to a person\u27s plans, providing for good health care--at a reasonable cost--is a major concern. About 85 percent of the non-institutionalized population in the United States has some form of health insurance. Approximately three-fourths of those people covered are covered through group health insurance policies. In the past 20 years medical costs have increased rapidly because of an increased demand for medical care by our health-conscious society, a shortage of doctors, hospitals and hospital care, and the development of new equipment and procedures. Health and disability insurance helps protect you and your family against two economic risks: 1) the cost of medical care, and 2) the loss of income from disability of the wage earner