Yep. Basically the system is a split of premiums, deductibles, copays, and various out of pocket costs setup to obscure what you’re really paying (and entice investors to try and make money off of you). The key number to pay attention to is the total out of pocket cost. Sadly most plans just go with the federal maximum allowed, which is now $8,700 per year for individuals and $17,400 per year on a family plan. Most people confuse their deductible with their OOP max and are completely unaware. They see that their plan has a $1k deductible and think that’s the same thing as the OOP. It is not.

This means, if you’re married, in one year you could be liable for whatever your OOP max is plus your premiums. So if you pay a $500/month premium your actual total costs per year could be as high as $23,400. It is absolutely criminal.