How do out-of-pocket maximums work?

You share the cost of your care with your health insurance company when you pay your deductible, coinsurance and copays. But did you know there’s a limit to how much you pay? It’s called an out-of-pocket max, or maximum.

It’s the most you’ll have to pay during a policy period, usually a year, for health care services.

What you pay toward your plan’s deductible, coinsurance and copays are all applied to your out-of-pocket max.

Once you reach your out-of-pocket max, your plan pays 100 percent of the allowed amount for covered services.

If your plan covers more than one person, you may have a family out-of-pocket max and individual out-of-pocket maximums. That means:

• When the deductible, coinsurance and copays for one person reach the individual maximum, your plan then pays 100 percent of the allowed amount for that person
• When what you’ve paid toward individual maximums adds up to your family out-of-pocket max, your plan will pay 100 percent of the allowed amount for health care services for everyone on the plan

• Amounts you pay for health care services that aren’t included in your plan’s benefits
• Your monthly payment, or premium, if you buy your own health insurance

Out-of-pocket maximums for dental plans also limit what you pay in deductible, coinsurance and copays. But dental plans usually only have an out-of-pocket max for members age 19 and younger.

Related Items

• How do deductibles, coinsurance and copays work?
• How to understand deductibles and their impact on premiums
• Individual and family health insurance