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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Your &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-health-insurance-1738732&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What exactly is health insurance, anyway?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;health insurance&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/deductible-1738691&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Definition of deductible.&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;deductible&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and your monthly &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/health-insurance-premiums-1738769&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s a premium?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;premiums&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; are probably your two largest health care expenses. Even though your deductible counts for the lion\u2019s share of your health care spending budget, understanding what counts toward your health insurance deductible and what doesn\u2019t isn\u2019t easy.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The design of each health plan determines what counts toward the health insurance deductible, and health plan designs can be notoriously complicated. Health plans sold by the same health insurer will differ from each other in what counts toward the deductible. Even the same plan may change from one year to the next. You need to read the fine print and be savvy to understand what, exactly, you&amp;amp;#39;ll be expected to pay, and when, exactly, you&amp;amp;#39;ll have to pay it.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;What Counts Toward Your Health Insurance Deductible&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Money gets credited toward your deductible depending on how your health plan\u2019s &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-cost-sharing-1738709&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What is cost-sharing?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;cost-sharing&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is structured. There are lots of ways cost-sharing can be structured, but most fall into two main design categories.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ol&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The \u201CYou pay first, insurance pays later&amp;amp;#34; design:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; Your health insurance might not pay a dime toward anything but preventive care until you\u2019ve met your deductible for the year. You pay for 100% of your medical bills before the deductible has been met. After the deductible has been met, you pay only &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/cost-of-health-insurance-1738623&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s a copayment?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;copayments&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-coinsurance-1738710&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s coinsurance?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;coinsurance&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;; your health insurance picks up the rest of the tab.&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;In these plans, usually any money you spend toward &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/medical-necessity-1738748&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What is medically necessary care?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;medically necessary&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; care counts toward your health insurance deductible as long as it\u2019s a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/covered-or-coverage-definition-1738701&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What does &amp;amp;#34;covered&amp;amp;#34; mean in this context?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;covered benefit&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; of your health plan and received following the health plan\u2019s rules.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The \u201Cdeductible is waived for some services\u201D design:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; Your health insurance picks up part of the tab for some non-preventive services even before you\u2019ve met your deductible. In this plan type, usually the services that are exempted from the deductible are services that require copayments. Whether or not the deductible has been met, you pay only the copayment. Your health insurance pays the remainder of the cost of that service.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;For services that require &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/whats-the-difference-between-copay-and-coinsurance-1738506&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Copay vs Coinsurance\u2014What&amp;amp;#39;s the Difference &amp;amp;amp; Which Is Riskier?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;coinsurance rather than a copayment&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, you pay the full cost of the service until your deductible has been met. After the deductible has been met, you pay only the coinsurance amount; your health plan pays the rest.\u00A0&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;In these plans, the money you spend toward services for which the deductible has been waived usually isn&amp;amp;#39;t credited toward your deductible. For example, if you have a $35 copayment to see a specialist whether or not you&amp;amp;#39;ve met the deductible, that $35 copayment probably won&amp;amp;#39;t count toward your deductible.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;\u00A0&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;However, this varies from health plan to health plan; so, read your Summary of Benefits and Coverage carefully, and call your health plan if you\u2019re not sure. Learn more in, &amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/do-copays-count-toward-your-health-insurance-deductible-1738551&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Do Copays Count Toward Your Health Insurance Deductible?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;amp;#34;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ol&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Remember, thanks to the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-affordable-care-act-what-is-it-1738452&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s the Affordable Care Act?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Affordable Care Act&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, in most health plans, preventive care is covered 100% by health insurance. You don\u2019t have to pay any deductible, copay, or coinsurance for preventive health care services you get from an &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/health-insurance-provider-network-1738750&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What does in-network mean?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;in-network&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-provider-1738759&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s a provider?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;provider&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;What Doesn\u2019t Count Toward Your Health Insurance Deductible&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Money you pay out-of-pocket for health care services that aren\u2019t a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/covered-or-coverage-definition-1738701&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Learn what &amp;amp;#34;covered benefit&amp;amp;#34; means.&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;14&amp;quot;&amp;gt;covered benefit&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; of your health insurance won\u2019t be credited toward your health insurance deductible. For example, if your health insurance doesn\u2019t cover cosmetic treatments for facial wrinkles, the money you pay out of your own pocket for these treatments won\u2019t count toward your health insurance deductible.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Money you paid to an &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/out-of-network-1738597&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What does out-of-network mean?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;15&amp;quot;&amp;gt;out-of-network&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; provider isn\u2019t usually credited toward the deductible in a health plan that doesn\u2019t cover out-of-network care. There are exceptions to this rule such as emergency care or situations where there is no in-network provider capable of providing the needed service.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Health plans that allow out-of-network care, usually &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-ppo-how-does-it-work-1738672&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s a PPO and how does it work?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;16&amp;quot;&amp;gt;PPOs&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/pos-point-of-service-plan-1738762&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;What&amp;amp;#39;s a POS plan?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;17&amp;quot;&amp;gt;POS&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; plans, may differ as to how they credit money you paid for out-of-network care. You may have two separate health insurance deductibles, one for in-network care and another larger one for out-of-network care. In this case, money paid for out-of-network care gets credited toward the out-of-network deductible but doesn\u2019t count toward the in-network deductible. One caveat: if your out-of-network provider charges more than the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/reasonable-and-customary-fee-1738774&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;&amp;amp;#34;What Does &amp;amp;#34;Customary and Usual Amount&amp;amp;#34; Really Mean?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;18&amp;quot;&amp;gt;customary amount&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; for the service you received, your health plan may limit the amount it credits toward your out-of-network deductible to the customary amount.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Monthly &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/do-premiums-count-toward-your-deductible-1738443&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;Do Premiums Count Toward Your Health Insurance Deductible?&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;19&amp;quot;&amp;gt;premiums don&amp;amp;#39;t count toward your deductible&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. In fact, premiums aren&amp;amp;#39;t credited toward any type of cost-sharing. Premiums are the cost of buying the insurance. They&amp;amp;#39;re the price you pay the insurer for assuming part of the financial risk of your potential health care expenses.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-to-know-before-getting-out-of-network-care-1738673&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;20&amp;quot;&amp;gt;What You Need to Know Before Getting Out-Of-Network Care&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/beware-out-of-pocket-maximum-1738619&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;21&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Out-Of-Pocket Maximum\u2014How It Works &amp;amp;amp; Why to Beware&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-counts-toward-health-insurance-out-of-pocket-limit-1738670&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;22&amp;quot;&amp;gt;What Doesn&amp;amp;#39;t Count Toward Your Out-Of-Pocket Maximum?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/what-counts-toward-your-health-insurance-deductible-1738559>