Having health insurance usually means you pay a premium every month and, in return, your health plan pays part of the bill when you need a service from a doctor or another provider to keep you healthy or treat a disease. Health insurance usually covers doctors' visits, prescription drugs, medical, and surgical services.

There are several different ways to get health insurance. Some people buy coverage on their own. Many people get coverage through their job or a family member's job. Others are covered through public programs like Medicare and Medicaid. State insurance regulators provide oversight for some of these types of health insurance. Different regulatory agencies have responsibility for other types of coverage. Explore the ways to get health coverage below.

Do you have high-deductible health insurance? If so, you may have the option to open a health savings account (HSA) to help buffer your finances against damaging medical debt.

If you can get an HSA, you definitely should. Here’s why.

The level of medical debt in America is shockingly high.

According to Debt.org, America’s debt-help organization, the average cost to an individual to stay in a hospital is $3,949 per day. And the average healthcare consumer pays more than $10,000 per year. As a nation, we spent $3.5 trillion in 2017 for health care.

The numbers paint a bleak picture. Americans pay more for health care than anyone in the world, and the impact of facing extreme medical debt can be financially devastating for individuals and families.

Yet despite what the numbers say, there are ways to lessen the financial burden of individual or family health care. Find out how in this guide to managing medical debt.

Without a health insurance plan, you could be on the hook to pay an expensive medical bill next time you visit a hospital. There’s a plan out there for everyone, so here’s a look at the types of health insurance plans to find the right one for you to avoid medical debt.

If you don’t have a good health insurance plan, now’s the time to get one.