The episode received positive reviews from television critics. Jenna Fischer later called "Health Care" her favorite season one episode. During one particular scene, Rainn Wilson kept improvising new fake diseases. The laughter that resulted in his ad-libs was not scripted, as they were in fact the cast's genuine reaction to Wilson's fake diseases. The episode received a 2.9/7 in the Nielsen ratings among people aged 18–49 and garnered 5.8 million viewers overall. In addition, the episode retained 100% of its lead-in 18–49 audience and ranked, along with the other first-season episodes of "The Office", as NBC's highest-rated Tuesday night program since February 1, 2005.