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.
Vineyard Haven is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,048 at the 2000 census. Known by the original Wampanoag inhabitants as Nobnocket, this area was first referred to by the colonial settlers as Homes Hole; "Homes" from a Wampanoag term for "old man," and "Hole" meaning a sheltered inlet. By the 1800s it was more commonly spelled Holmes Hole after the descendants of John Holmes (1730–1812) who had settled in the village during the second half of the eighteenth century. In 1871 the village officially changed its name to Vineyard Haven. Though the name Vineyard Haven technically refers only to one section of the town of Tisbury, the names are used interchangeably, with Vineyard Haven now being a commonly used title for the whole town. Vineyard Haven is the main port of entry to Martha's Vineyard, and one of the three main population centers. The Steamship Authority wharf is located in Vineyard Haven, at which ferries arrive and depart year-round. (A second, seasonal wharf is located in neighboring Oak Bluffs. ) Although the year-round population is only about 2,000 people, its population increases tremendously in the summer, as most houses on the Vineyard are owned by summer residents.