Why do people purchase Health insurance? Medical expenses are very expensive, especially if you are sick often, or if you have just one major illness or accident. Imagine if you needed treatment for a serious disease, or if you had an accident, and you found yourself with no way to pay for the treatment needed to save your life. Some hospitals will treat you anyway, but you may experience critical delays, less adequate service, and ultimately tens of thousands in medical bills that you will be responsible for paying.

How do they purchase it? Each month, they pay a fee, called a premium to the insurance company. In return, the insurance company promises to cover their health care and medical expenses. Sometimes there is a deductible, meaning the amount you agree to pay on your own before the amount insurance will pay. Other plans have a co-pay, meaning that you might pay $15, $30 or $50 per visit, but the insurance company will pay the rest, no matter how much it is.

Types of plans in US:

Most full-time employers offer it. Usually, you are covered automatically, either with no or little financial contribution from you. If you are a student, most schools offer student discount plans. And if you are in any type of organized professional organization or union, they may offer coverage plans as well. Be sure to ask. And ask about coverage for your spouse and children if they are not covered under another plan (for example, through your spouse's employer).

Shop for the best plan: If you are not medically insured, you need to shop around carefully. Review what the plan has to offer, what it covers and what it does not. If you have special conditions such as heart trouble or anything else in your family history, review coverage on those conditions carefully. If there is any chance you could become pregnant again, make sure the plan covers maternity. Check out accident coverage and prescription drug coverage. Read all the details more than once. Make sure you know what your deductibles or co-pays are and what your monthly premiums will be. Calculate the expenses. If you travel a lot, make sure to find out what happens if you get ill away from home. Are you covered? And can you afford the health insurance premium? Or, more specifically, how will you arrange your finances to make sure you can afford it?

If you are and always have been in good health, and if you are young, without children, you may opt to get a plan that only covers accidents and critical care. This would be much less expensive.

One thing that is important to remember is that, aside from certain specialized immigrant groups, such as asylees, most new immigrants are not easily eligible for government assisted health care. If you have a visa, or a new green card, you have made an oath to abstain from seeking public assistance, and will be expected, and often legally obligated to keep that oath. It's important that you take your health insurance needs seriously. Search Google for "international health plans," and you will find health insurance for specific immigrant groups.