A health insurance scheme is a public or private scheme for the reimbursement of medical or hospital care or compensation for loss of income due to illness, injury or accident. A health insurance system should be compulsory and cover all workers. As necessary, States may make limited exceptions, such as for workers in casual employment and members of the employer’s family living in his/her house in respect of their work for him/her. Health insurance should be available equally to women and men, although there will be differences depending on whether a worker is in full-time or part-time employment. Compulsory health insurance schemes are not applicable in many spheres of work in which women predominate, so they are obliged to take personal responsibility for this protection. The system should be administered by non-profit institutions under the supervision of the competent public authority. The insured persons and the employers should share the financial burden of the system. In case of incapacity for work on health grounds, the insured person is entitled to receive: (a) a cash benefit for at least the first 26 weeks of incapacity for work; (b) medical treatment, medicines and appliances free of charge or on paying only a part of the cost.