Bills and insurance
What Is a Health Insurance Deductible?
Deductible · say it: dih-DUK-tuh-bulAlso written: annual deductible, plan deductible, excess
Short answer
A deductible is the amount you pay for covered health care each year before your insurance starts paying its share.
What it means
Many health insurance plans require you to pay the full allowed cost of covered services up to a set amount each plan year. That amount is the deductible. Once you have paid it, the plan starts sharing costs, usually through copays or coinsurance.
Some services, such as certain preventive care, may be covered before the deductible is met, depending on the plan. Family plans can have both individual and family deductibles.
The deductible usually resets at the start of each plan year. Your explanation of benefits often shows how much of the deductible you have paid so far.
Where you may see it
- Explanation of benefits (EOB) statements
- Medical bills
- Insurance plan summaries
📄 How it looks on a report
Applied to deductible: $250.00
🙅 What it does not mean
- Paying a deductible does not mean your claim was denied; it is a normal part of how many plans work.
- The deductible is not the same as your monthly premium; premiums do not usually count toward it.
- Meeting your deductible does not always mean you pay nothing more; copays and coinsurance may still apply.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
🧾 Reports where you will see “Deductible”
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💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Deductible”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Insulin Glargine
an insulin analog, a long-acting man-made insulin used to treat diabetes
- Pantoprazole
a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), a medicine that reduces the amount of acid the stomach makes
- Pregabalin
an antiepileptic drug, which is a seizure medicine that is also used to treat certain types of nerve pain and fibromyalgia
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Deductible” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- HealthCare.gov glossary ↗
US government health insurance glossary
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.