Global View - Health Insurance (C0160)

A:  Hey honey, how was your day?
B:  It was alright. I ran into Billand we got totalking for a whileHe's in a bit of a jam.
A:  Why? What happened?
B:  Well, his son had an accident and Billdoesn't have health insurance. This really got me thinking, and I wondered if we shouldn't look into a couple of different HMO's.
A:  Yeah, you're right. We aren't getting any younger and our kids are getting older.
B:  Exactly! I searched onthe web and found a couple of HMO's with low co pays and good coverage. The deductibles are low, too.
A:  Sounds good, although, do you think we can qualify for insurance? Those insurance companies are real pirates when it comes to money.
B:  Well, we don't have any pre existing illnesses or conditions, so we should be fine.
A:  I wish our company or country provided us with healthcare.
B:  Not in a million years!

Key Vocabulary

run intomeet or encounter
a bit ofkind of
jama problem or difficult situation
look intoinvestigate
health maintenance organizationHealth Maintenance Organization
deductiblea clause in an insurance policy that relieves the
coveragethe extent of the protection provided by insurance
when it comes toin terms of, about
co-paya payment made everytime a medical service is need

Supplementary Vocabulary

prescriptionthe medicine or remedy ordered by a physician for a patient
exclusioncertain services that an insurance company will not cover in the plan
healthcarethe prevention and treatment of illness and the preservation of well-being through the services offered by the health professions
premiumthe amount paid for an insurance policy, often in installments
coinsuranceAfter the deductible is exceeded, it is when the insured must also pay a percentage of the total cost of services while the insurance company pays the rest. It can be used instead of or in addition to copays.

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