Insurance Basics: Home

Planning Your Costs Based on Where You Get Care

Your plan may have different rules and costs for different healthcare settings. In any setting, you may have to pay a copay, and in some cases, coinsurance. But, these may be waived for preventive services like flu shots and mammograms.

Planning Your Costs Based on Where You Get Care
Cost Sharing

Health insurance protects you from paying the full cost of your care. But, you will likely still have to pay some money out of your pocket. Almost all plans call for “cost sharing”. That means your insurer pays for part of your care, and you pay for part.

Cost Sharing
Flexible Spending Plans

Flexible spending plans let you set aside money from your paycheck. You can use it to pay for care before meeting your deductible, and for copays and coinsurance afterward.

Healthcare Proxies and Advance Healthcare Directives

Healthcare proxies and advance healthcare directives can help you plan your care if you ever lose the ability to communicate clearly.

When Out-of-Network Care Can be Covered In Network

Receiving care from a provider in your health plan´s network usually costs you much less than going to an out-of-network provider.

Using Health Insurance While Traveling

If you’re planning a trip, the last thing you may want to think of is healthcare. But accidents and illnesses can happen on the road as well as at home. Here are the basics on using health insurance while traveling.