Deductible
Deductibles are typically used to deter the large number of claims that a consumer can be reasonably expected to bear the cost of. By restricting its coverage to events that are significant enough to incur large costs, the insurance firm expects to pay out slightly smaller amounts much less frequently, incurring much higher savings. As a result, insurance premiums are typically cheaper when they involve higher deductibles. For example, health insurance companies offer plans with high premiums and low deductibles, or plans with low premiums and high deductibles. One plan may have a premium of $1,087 a month with a $6,000 deductible, while a competitive plan may have a premium of $877 a month with a $12,700 deductible. The consumer with the $6,000 deductible will have to pay $6,000 in health care costs before the insurance plan pays anything. The consumer with the $12,700 deductible will have to pay $12,700.
High-deductible health plan
To qualify for an HDHP, an individual plan must have a deductible of at least $1,350 and family plans must have a deductible of at least $2,700. An HDHP's total yearly out-of-pocket expenses (including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance) can't be more than $6,650 for an individual or $13,300 for a family (This limit doesn't apply to out-of-network services). Because of the relatively high cost of HDHPs, the increased out-of-pocket costs can be burdensome especially for low income families. As a way to try and offset the cost of care, HDHP policy holders may contribute to a health savings account (HSA) with pre-tax income. HSA contributions, unlike other tax-advantaged investment vehicles, offer a triple tax benefit – tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. The maximum contribution limits policy holders may make to their HSA in 2018 are $3,450 (individual) and $6,900 (family) with a $1,000 catch-up contribution for people age 55 or older.