How Does the US Health System Work?

Healthcare in the United States is organized in a complex bureaucracy. While in the rest of the world healthcare facilities are owned mostly by governments or by private sector businesses, in the US a large share of hospitals and clinics are owned by private non-profit organizations.

Yet, the United States is the country that has the highest healthcare expenditures in the world. While these expenditures are covered in a large share by public payers as by Federal institutions, or State and local governments, they can also be covered by private insurance and individual payments.

At the same time, unlike most developed nations, the US health system does not provide health care to its entire population. As there is no single nationwide system of health insurance, the United States primarily relies on employers who voluntarily provide health insurance coverage to their employees and dependents.

In addition, the government has programs that tend to cover healthcare expenses for the fragile parts of the society as the elderly, disabled and the poor. These programs differ from one another, and all have a specific kind of people that are subject to.

Getting health insurance in the US is not an easy thing. Someone may think that once you have money everything is easy peasy, but in fact things are a bit more complicated. One must be very careful and look out to pick the right insurance.

Health Insurance in the United States for non-Citizens

The United States government does not provide health insurance for all its people, and health insurance is not obligatory for those living in the US. It is optional, but highly recommended and necessary since health services are very costly, more than in any other country anywhere across the globe.

There are two types of health insurances in the US, private and public. Most people use a combination of both. The US public health insurances are: Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Travel insurance for visitors in USA
Health insurance for international students in USA
Health insurance for dependents of international students.
Health insurance for J-1 visa holders
Health insurance for foreign workers on an H-1B visa
Health insurance for dependents on an H-4 visa holders
Health insurance for Green Card Holders
Health insurance for K1 visa holders
Health insurance in USA for Canadian Expats

The US has the most expensive healthcare in the world. That’s why getting adequate health insurance coverage comes highly recommended.

Medicare

Medicare is a national health insurance program that dates back to 1966. It provides health insurance for US nationals older than 65 years old, but also for younger people with end stage renal disease, ALS, and some other disabilities.

Data shows that in 2018, Medicare provided almost 60 million individuals with healthcare in the US, over 51 million of which were older than 65.

The Medicare program is divided into four parts:

Part A – which covers hospitals, skilled nursing and hospice services.
Part B – covers outpatient services, including some providers’ services while inpatient at a hospital, outpatient hospital charges
Part C – is an alternative called Managed Medicare, which permits patients to select health plans with at least the same service coverage as Part A and B, often the benefits of Part D, and an annual out of pocket spend limit which A and B lack. To sign in this part, one must sign in Part A and B fist.
Part D – covers mostly self-administered prescription drugs.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal and state program that helps people with limited income and resources to cover medical costs, while covering benefits normally not covered by Medicare, as nursing home care and personal care services.

It is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States. Data shows that the US provided health insurance to 71 million people with low income or disabilities, which is 23% of the total of the US’ population.
Children’s Health Insurance Program

Formerly known as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), this is a program that covers with health insurance children of families with modest income, that are not low enough to qualify for Medicaid.