Thursday, September 10, 2009

CPS Health Insurance Definitions

CPS Health Insurance Definitions

The Census Bureau broadly classifies health insurance coverage as either Private (non-government) coverage or Government-sponsored coverage.

Private Health Insurance

Private health insurance is coverage by a health plan provided through an employer or union or purchased by an individual from a private health insurance company.

Employment-based plans
Employment-based health insurance is coverage offered through one's own employment or a relative's. It may be offered by an employer or by a union.

Own Employment-based plans
Own employment-based health insurance is coverage offered through one's own employment and only the policyholder is covered by the plan.

Direct-purchase plans
Direct-purchase health insurance is coverage though a plan purchased by an individual from a private company.

Government Health Insurance

Government health insurance includes plans funded by governments as the federal, state, or local level. The major categories of government health insurance are medicare, medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), military health care, state plans, and the Indian Health Service.

Medicare
Medicare is the Federal program which helps pay health care costs for people 65 and older and for certain people under 65 with long-term disabilities.

Medicaid
Medicaid is a program administered at the state level, which provides medical assistance to the needy. Families with dependent children, the aged, blind, and disabled who are in financial need are eligible for Medicaid. It may be known by different names in different states.

SCHIP
SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, is a program administered at the state level, providing health care to low-income children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaid. SCHIP may be known by different names in different states.

Military health care
Military health care includes TRICARE and CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs), as well as care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

TRICARE
TRICARE is a military health care program for active duty and retired members of the uniformed services, their families, and survivors.

CHAMPVA
CHAMPVA is a medical program through which the Department of Veterans Affairs helps pay the cost of medical services for eligible veterans, veteran's dependents, and survivors of veterans.

VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides medical assistance to eligible veterans of the Armed Forces.

State-specific plan
Some states have their own health insurance programs for low-income uninsured individuals. These health plans may be known by different names in different states.

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