17 articles
Compare health insurance plans, understand deductibles and premiums, and find affordable coverage for you and your family.
health insuranceCOBRA premiums are a qualifying medical expense, which sounds better than it is. Three routes make them genuinely deductible and most households qualify for none of them.
health insuranceCancelling is almost always allowed. Getting back in is not, because enrolment is restricted to open enrolment and qualifying life events. That asymmetry is the whole answer.
health insuranceMedicare starts at 65 for nearly everyone. Retiring at 62 means bridging three years, and the options are better than most people expect if you plan the income.
health insuranceSome plans run drugs through the medical deductible, some use a separate drug deductible, and some charge copays that never touch it. All three are common.
health insuranceFor children the answer is generally yes. For adults it varies enormously by state, and whether the extraction is medically necessary decides most cases.
health insuranceFederal rules set the outer limits and most applications are decided sooner. What actually causes delay is missing verification, and it is almost entirely avoidable.
health insuranceThe duration depends on which qualifying event triggered it, and two extensions can lengthen it. The election deadline is where most people go wrong.
health insuranceThe rule is simpler than people expect and the edge cases are where it goes wrong. What counts, what does not, and what happens the month it ends.
health insuranceOut of network means your insurer has no price agreement with that provider. What follows from that single fact explains almost every surprise medical bill.
health insuranceMeeting the deductible starts cost sharing rather than ending it. What changes, what does not, and why the months afterwards are the cheapest of the year.
health insuranceA deductible is what you pay before the plan starts sharing costs. Four things it interacts with decide what your care actually costs, and most people know only one.
health insuranceCOBRA costs the full group premium plus a 2% fee, which is usually three to five times what was coming out of your paycheck. The real numbers and the deadlines.