Health care law encompasses the laws and regulations governing hospital and health care administration, and an understanding of health care insurance is integral to it. There are significant differences in the types and amount of coverage provided by various private insurance policies, such as HMOs, PPOs, disability insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance, just as there are important differences in the cost to the purchasers of health insurance. There are also public health care insurance programs. Elderly and disabled persons may be eligible for coverage through the federal Medicare program. The joint state-federal Medicaid program helps certain individuals, including disabled persons and low-income elderly persons, pay for long-term care and in-home health care.
Northbrook is a village located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois. The population was 33,435 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 34,190 as of 2005. When incorporated in 1901, the village was known as Shermerville in honor of Frederick Schermer, who donated the land for its first train station. The village changed its name to Northbrook in 1923 as an effort to improve its public image. The name was chosen because the west fork of the north branch of the Chicago River runs through the Village. Glenbrook North High School, founded in 1953 as Glenbrook High School, is located in Northbrook, as are the corporate headquarters of Underwriters Laboratories, Allstate Corporation, The Land of Nod, and Crate and Barrel. The village is also home to Northbrook Court shopping mall, the Ed Rudolph Velodrome, and the Northbrook Public Library.