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Zara International

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Chapter 9 health and disability insurance

|CHAPTER OVERVIEW |

Planning a health insurance program needs careful study because the protection should be shaped to the needs of the individual or the family. However, the task is simplified for many families because a foundation for their coverage is already provided by group health insurance at work. We begin the chapter by recognizing the importance of health insurance in financial planning and define health insurance. Then we analyze the benefits and limitations of the various types of health insurance coverage. Private and governmental sources of health insurance and health care are presented next, with a complete coverage of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Then, we discuss the importance of disability insurance in financial planning and identify its resources. Finally, we explore why the costs of health insurance and health care have been increasing and what is being done to curtail them.

|LEARNING OBJECTIVES |CHAPTER SUMMARY |

After studying this chapter, students will be able to:

|Obj. 1 |Recognize the importance of health |Health insurance is protection that provides payments of benefits for a covered sickness |
| |insurance in financial planning. |or injury. Health insurance should be a part of your overall insurance program to |
| | |safeguard your family’s economic security. Health insurance plans can be purchased |
| | |through group health insurance, individual health insurance, and COBRA. |
|Obj. 2 |Analyze the costs and benefits of |Four basic types of health insurance are available

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