Q. What style do you recommend for the words “health care,” two words or one? If two words are preferred, do you hyphenate it when it appears as an adjective, as in health-care company? Thanks.
A. For the answers to questions about word definitions and spellings, we recommend that you use a dictionary. Since Merriam-Webster lists “health care” (two words) first (“healthcare,” one word, is listed second, as an equal variant), we would choose that form. M-W also notes that the compound is “usually hyphenated when used attributively.”