Health insurance is a contract with an insurance company in which you pay regular premiums and receive full or partial reimbursement for various medical services in return. Prior to 2019, it was mandatory to get insurance in the U.S., and you would pay a fine if you didn’t have insurance. As of 2019, the requirement has been eliminated at the state level, but health insurance is mandatory in some states. How much is health insurance in America?

Health care in the U.S. is very expensive: Year after year, the U.S. ranks first among other countries in the amount of medical expenses per person. For example, in 2019 that amount was $10,948. However, government insurance programs in the U.S. are provided only for certain categories of citizens, so the issue of buying insurance is relevant for most residents of the country, unless the insurance is provided by the employer.

The Cost of Medical Services in the United States

In the U.S., there are no free medical services. Even medical emergencies require payment. If you don’t have insurance, the cost will fall entirely on your shoulders. Let’s take a look at how much the most popular medical services cost U.S. residents. The price range for some services is quite large, due to the difference in prices in different clinics, as well as differences in the price of variations of the same procedure (for example, blood tests can be both basic and complex).

• General blood test: $4 to $83;
• X-rays: $51 – $320;
• ULTRASOUND: $155 TO $721;
• MRT: $563 TO $3074;
• CT: $320 – $1869;
• Appendectomy: $6063 – $11,445;
• Tonsil removal: $2935 – $6189;
• Natural childbirth: $4032 – $10,037;
• Physician visit: $42 – $170;
• Cardiologist visit: $136 – $207.

Where to buy health insurance in the United States

The market and prices of insurance policies are controlled by the government, so you can buy insurance through the state’s Healthcare portal. In addition, there are set deadlines for purchasing insurance for the next year. For example, insurance for the year 2022 must be purchased between November 1 and December 15. You can buy insurance outside of the established timeframe, but under certain circumstances, such as loss of your current insurance, birth of a child, change of residence, and so on. Also, citizens can apply for insurance at any time under Medicaid (this is a government program to provide health care for those in need).

Categories of Insurance

There are 4 categories of insurance, the difference between them is how much of your medical expenses will be paid by the insurance company and how much you will pay. Depending on how high your expenses are covered, the amount you pay differs for each policy category.

• Bronze: you pay 40%, the insurance company pays 60%.
• Silver: you pay 30%, the insurance company pays 70%.
• Gold: you pay 20%, the insurance company pays 80%.
• Platinum: you pay 10%, the insurance company pays 90%.

All plans have a deductible, which is an amount up to which you pay all medical expenses yourself. The lowest deductible is in the Platinum category, which also has the highest premium.