Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| seguro de salud | /seɡuɾo de salud/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| aseguración médica | /aseɡuɾaθjon medika/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /aseɡuɾasjon medika/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
This term refers to insurance against incurring medical expenses among individuals. You may also frequently use the synonym seguro médico to mean medical insurance, as the two are used interchangeably in many Spanish-speaking countries. Other related terms include cobertura (coverage), póliza (policy), prima (premium) and reembolso (reimbursement).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase seguro de salud literally translates to 'insurance of health'.
Which one should you use?
The masculine form seguro de salud is the default, while aseguración médica is a feminine alternative.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, seguro popular refers specifically to the government health insurance program. In Spain, seguridad social is frequently used when discussing the national health insurance system. In Argentina, obra social refers to health insurance offered by trade unions or specific professions.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, you pluralize the noun seguro to seguros while keeping de salud unchanged, resulting in seguros de salud.
How do you pronounce it?
/seɡuɾo de salud/
Did you know?
- The word póliza for 'policy' is a cognate of the English 'police' in its very early history, as both stem from the Greek word for a city-state.
- The word salud is also the standard greeting used when making a toast, much like 'cheers' in English.
- The word seguro comes from the Latin sēcūrus, which originally meant 'free from care' or 'carefree' rather than a financial contract.
Examples in context
- Los sacerdotes reciben seguro de salud.Priests receive health insurance.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use seguro de salud in a sentence.Tatoeba #2099940 by marcelostockle, translation #2150624 by galoosh33
- Es importante contar con un buen seguro de salud en estos tiempos.It is important to have good health insurance in these times.
- El seguro médico cubre una gran cantidad de servicios de atención médica.Health insurance covers a wide range of medical services.
- ¿Tienes seguro de salud?Do you have health insurance?
- Me alegro de que tengas seguro médico.I'm glad you have health insurance.
- Necesito contratar un seguro de salud.I need to get health insurance.
- El seguro de salud es muy caro.Health insurance is very expensive.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are discussing their office benefits.
- Sofía¿Tu empresa ofrece seguro de salud?Does your company offer health insurance?
- JavierSí, mi seguro de salud es excelente.Yes, my health insurance is excellent.
- SofíaQué suerte tienes, Javier.You are so lucky, Javier.
- JavierEs muy importante para nosotros.It is very important for us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “health insurance” translations and entries seguro de salud, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aseguración, de, salud, seguro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
