Health Insurance Plan Comparison Calculator

Compare total expected annual cost: (monthly premium × 12) + expected out-of-pocket costs based on your typical healthcare usage. A plan with $400/month premium and $1,000 deductible costs $5,800 for someone with $2,000 in claims. A plan with $250/month premium and $4,000 deductible costs $6,000 for the same claims. The cheaper premium plan actually costs $200 more. Always model with YOUR expected usage — a plan that is cheapest for a healthy 25-year-old may be the most expensive for a family with chronic conditions.

Model three scenarios: Best case (preventive care only — 2 doctor visits), Expected case (typical year — doctor visits, prescriptions, one urgent care), Worst case (major event — surgery, hospitalization, hitting OOP max). Compare total cost under all three. A high-deductible plan wins in best and expected cases but may lose in worst case if the OOP max is significantly higher. Choose the plan where worst-case cost will not cause financial hardship.

The network determines who you can see and what you pay. In-network: negotiated rates, counts toward deductible and OOP max. Out-of-network: full price, may not count toward deductible, potentially 2-5x the cost. Before choosing a plan: verify your primary care doctor, any specialists you see regularly, your preferred hospital, and your pharmacy are all in-network. A plan that is $50/month cheaper but excludes your doctor can cost thousands more in out-of-network charges.

Only High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) qualify for HSA contributions. The HSA tax savings (deduction + tax-free growth + tax-free medical withdrawals) add $900-3,000/year in value depending on your contribution level and tax bracket. When comparing an HDHP with HSA to a traditional PPO, add the HSA tax savings to the HDHP side. For many healthy individuals and families, the HDHP + HSA combination produces the lowest total cost even accounting for the higher deductible.