Health insurance premiums can be an enormous drain on your budget and a source of extreme anxiety and tension.
The average cost of health insurance depends on numerous factors, including your age, location and plan type. It’s important to understand these costs prior to making a selection decision.
Premiums
Premiums, the cost associated with health insurance coverage, vary greatly based on factors like age, location and plan type.
From 2010-2022, individual and family coverage costs have seen an average increase of over $225 annually, due to an increase in preexisting condition cases as well as more costly plans with specific features.
Premiums and deductibles are expected to increase due to a new excise tax on employment-based plans with relatively high premiums, set to take effect in 2020.
Deductibles
Deductibles are the first step of your cost-sharing commitment before insurance covers the rest. By choosing your deductible wisely, you can both minimize expenses and maintain good health.
Middle-income households had an average deductible of 4.7 percent of income in 2020, up from 3.3% 10 years earlier (Table 1). Premium contributions and deductibles comprised 10 percent or more of median household income in 37 states during 2020.
Some services, like annual physicals and preventive health screenings are covered without deductibles or copays; this includes vaccines for both children and adults.
Copays
Copays and deductibles are the cornerstone of cost sharing, helping keep medical costs under control while at the same time being complex to understand.
Copays are set fees you pay each time you visit a doctor or receive medical services; typically this fee falls under $20 per visit.
Coinsurance is another method of cost sharing offered by health insurance providers when you reach your deductible threshold. Coinsurance represents a percentage of what’s owed when meeting this goal.
Over the past decade, premium contributions and deductibles have steadily increased, representing an increasing portion of workers’ incomes. They amounted to 11.6 percent of median income in 2020 – up from 9.1 percent in 2010.
Tiers
The cost of health insurance can depend on many different variables. Your location plays an integral part in how much coverage will cost.
Cost is determined by the extent of medical care you need; if you anticipate frequent doctor visits and prescription refills, opting for a higher-tier health plan might be wiser.
Understanding these categories will enable you to make a more informed choice when browsing health insurance plans on the marketplace.
Taxes
Health insurance is an expense for many American households, and costs of coverage can differ based on location, age and plan type.
Some of your health care costs may be tax deductible and eligible for tax credits (subsidies) that will help lower out-of-pocket expenses.
One key way to lower premiums is selecting an affordable health insurance plan, with gold, silver and bronze plans generally representing the most economical choices. There are other available plans as well; such as those provided through employers, grandfathered plans offered before Affordable Care Act came into force and plans tailored specifically for U.S. citizens living abroad.