Deductible

What does Deductible mean on a medical bill?

Your deductible is the amount of covered care you pay yourself each plan year before the plan starts paying its share. Only the discounted amount your plan allows counts toward it, never the full charge on the bill, and only claims that were actually processed count at all. Many plans keep a separate and larger deductible for out-of-network care, and family coverage usually has both an individual and a family number. Some care, including many in-network preventive visits, is covered before the deductible is met.

What does Deductible usually cost?

It resets on your plan year, which does not start in January for every plan, and it only moves when a claim posts. Care you paid for in cash without a claim being filed usually never counts toward it at all.

What should I watch out for with Deductible?

• A bill blamed on the deductible while the EOB shows the claim landed in another plan year
• Compare the deductible total on the EOB against your plan's own tracker, since the two often lag apart
• Out-of-network care hitting a different deductible than you expected — ask your plan which one the claim was applied to