The US Medicare program is the primary source of insurance for Americans above the age of 65 and in 2012 insured nearly 50 million Americans, of whom about 83% were above the age of 65.
One possibility is that gifts may procure a source of insurance for the giver.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, a major source of insurance for individuals and small groups, are adamantly opposed to Mr. Bush's proposal.
Ms. St. Pierre also now qualifies for Medicare, the federal health insurance program, because she is disabled, but her husband's plan remains her primary source of insurance.
Sara Rosenbaum, a professor of health law and policy at George Washington University, said: "If the ruling stands, it is the end of the Medicaid program as a source of insurance.
That is because extended family networks cushion the blow: "The evidence supports the hypothesis that extended family networks, which appear to be stronger near the Mediterranean, provide a fundamental source of insurance against unemployment in southern Europe".
Scott Adams of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that married men with no alternative source of insurance were 22% less likely to switch jobs than those who, for example, could get covered by their wife's employer.Tying health care to a job can tie people to jobs they hate.
This provision was included as a disincentive for employers considering dropping their current insurance plans once the insurance exchanges began operating as an alternative source of insurance.
And Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), chairman of the Social Security subcommittee on the House Ways and Means Committee, has spoken about the program as a crucial source of insurance in the event of a severe disability.
Surveys were the primary source of insurance information; medical records provided a secondary source.
