Health Insurance

U.S. health insurance is the most confusing consumer product sold legally. Premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximums, and network tiers all interact, and the plan that looks cheapest on paper often costs the most once you use it. Our guides focus on total annual cost under realistic usage scenarios — not just the monthly premium that marketing materials lead with.

What we cover in health insurance

HSA-eligible high-deductible plans versus PPOs

The 2026 HSA contribution limits are $4,400 for individual coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, with a $1,000 catch-up for age 55+. A high-deductible plan paired with a maxed HSA beats a traditional PPO for most healthy earners in the 22% federal bracket or higher — triple tax advantage, no use-it-or-lose-it rule, and the account rolls into retirement. The math flips for families with chronic conditions, a planned surgery, or two or more prescriptions with brand-name-only formulary placement. We show the breakeven calculation.

ACA marketplace and subsidies

The enhanced premium tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act remain in effect through plan year 2026, capping benchmark plan premiums at 8.5% of income for households above 400% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four earning $120,000, that’s a meaningful subsidy worth several thousand dollars annually. We cover Silver plan cost-sharing reductions (available up to 250% FPL), the Special Enrollment Period triggers most people don’t know qualify, and why the cheapest Bronze plan is usually the wrong choice.

Employer plans and open enrollment

The average employer now covers 73% of single premiums and 59% of family premiums, but plan design varies wildly. We cover how to read a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), the one question to ask HR about out-of-network billing, and when switching to a spouse’s plan or the marketplace saves money even with employer contribution on the table.

Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and supplements

Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers roughly 80% of approved costs with no out-of-pocket maximum — a Medigap policy closes that gap but averages $150–$300/month on top of Part B’s $185/month (2026). Medicare Advantage plans offer $0 premiums and built-in caps, but narrow networks and prior authorization trade-offs. The choice is harder to reverse than most new enrollees realize.

Short-term plans, COBRA, and coverage gaps

Short-term health plans are cheap because they exclude pre-existing conditions and cap payouts. They make sense for a 2–3 month gap between jobs when you’re healthy and the ACA Special Enrollment clock hasn’t started. They’re a bad deal for almost everyone else. COBRA costs 102% of the full employer premium — often $700–$2,500 a month — and is usually beaten by a marketplace Silver plan with subsidies.

A virtual visit can cost $0 to $79 with major U.S. coverage, or far more if you pick the wrong platform and assume your plan will sort it out later. UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and Medicare now cover a large share of telehealth care, but the fine print still decides whether …

Continue reading “Telehealth and Insurance: Understanding Your Virtual Visit Coverage”