With escalating prices no one can afford to pay for their illnesses. Hospital expenses, medical bills, operation charges are unaffordable and it is wise to have health insurance so that during such emergencies, you can always fall back upon insurance to settle your bills.

The majority of people in the US have health insurance. In most cases it is the employer who buys health insurance for his employees and since it is a group insurance many problems get solved. You do not have to go through the basic research to find out the best company to buy insurance as the employer has already done this homework. You do not have to go through long forms to fill up as your workplace will have a standard one in which you may have to fill in only your personal details. And in case you fall ill or have an accident or need a surgical procedure, your employer can do the needful and you can get the necessary expenses without going through the hassles yourself.

But you must remember that most health insurance companies do not pay for dental procedures and for cosmetic plastic surgery. If you need plastic surgery for genuinely sick reasons, like extensive burns or twisted joints where the muscles have shrunk or got twisted and you have to undergo plastic surgery, then the insurance company may pay the expenses.
You can also buy health insurance privately in which case you have to do the entire procedure yourself.

There are public programs which provide the primary source of health coverage for senior citizens and for children of low income families and certain others. Medicare is a federal social insurance program for senior citizens. Medicaid is a joint venture by the federal government and states which is monitored at the state level. Very low income families and children are benefited through Medicaid. Those who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private health coverage can avail SCHIP, another federal-state venture for health. There are military health benefits provided through TRICARE and the Veterans Health Administration which provide medical benefits for military personnel.

There are several types of insurances which you can buy. New companies providing more benefits or health care for more illnesses come up often and you can choose which company offers the best benefits and choose it. Different countries have different types of health insurances. You can find out the details from a search engine before making a final decision.