{"id":4355,"date":"2017-11-23T10:36:28","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T18:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/?page_id=4355"},"modified":"2026-05-18T11:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:55:17","slug":"plan-costs-premiums-deductibles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/compare-plans\/plan-costs-premiums-deductibles\/","title":{"rendered":"Plan costs: premiums and deductibles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To choose the plan that\u2019s best for you and your family, you have to know how much it costs. One mistake people make is to focus only on the premium without also considering other costs, such as the deductible.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"purple\">How you pay for health insurance<\/h4>\n<p>Each month you pay the <b>premium<\/b>, which is automatically deducted from your paycheck. You pay this even when you don\u2019t visit the doctor or otherwise use any health care services.<\/p>\n<p>When you do visit the doctor, what you pay goes toward your annual <b>deductible<\/b>. Once you pay the entire cost of the deductible, your insurance begins paying for part of your health care costs. The part you pay takes the form of either coinsurance or copayments.<\/p>\n<p>With <b>coinsurance<\/b>, the costs you pay for services are calculated as a percentage (for example, 20 percent). Insurance pays the remaining percentage of the cost. With <b>copayments<\/b>, on the other hand, you pay a fixed amount (for example, $20).<\/p>\n<p>Generally, you\u2019ll pay coinsurance after you visit the doctor when the bill arrives in the mail. Copayments are usually made at the doctor\u2019s office when you get the service.<\/p>\n<p>While plans using coinsurance are more common, some people prefer plans with copayments because costs are more predictable.<\/p>\n<p>Once you begin paying coinsurance or copayments, the most you\u2019ll have to pay during a year for covered services is the out-of-pocket limit. Most people don\u2019t reach their <b>out-of-pocket limit<\/b> during a typical, healthy year. Both the out-of-pocket limit and the deductible reset at the beginning of each calendar year.<\/p>\n<h4>Compare plan costs<\/h4>\n<p>When comparing plans, make sure to consider both the premium and the deductible &#8212; the two tables below summarize\u00a0costs based on individual or family coverage. For full details about the cost of a plan, including coinsurance and\u00a0copayments for specific medical services and prescriptions, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/fortress.wa.gov\/hca\/pebbhealthplan\/compare.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PEBB medical benefit comparison<\/a>\u00a0tool and\u00a0review the <a href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/compare-plans\/plan-coverage-certificates-summaries\/\">plan coverage documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<h4>2026<\/h4>\n<h5>Employee-only costs<\/h5>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table class=\"table table-striped table-sm\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">Plan<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">Premium (per month)<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">Medical Deductible (per year)<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">Medical Out-of-pocket limit (per year)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$25<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$1,700<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$5,100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$141<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$175<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$2,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">Kaiser WA SoundChoice<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$102<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$125<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$2,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA Value<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$150<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$250<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$3,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser Permanente NW CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$58<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$1,700<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$5,100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser Permanente NW Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$256<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$300<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$2,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$57<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$1,700<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$4,200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$145<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$250<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$2,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP Select<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$82<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$750<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$3,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5>Employee and family costs<\/h5>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table class=\"table table-striped table-sm\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\" rowspan=\"2\">Plan<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\" colspan=\"3\">Premium (per month)<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\" rowspan=\"2\">Medical Deductible (per year)<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\" rowspan=\"2\">Medical Out-of-Pocket Limit (per year)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">You and spouse or partner<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">You and child(ren)<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center\">Full family<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$50<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$44<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$69<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$3,400<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$10,200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$282<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$247<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$388<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$525<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA SoundChoice<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$204<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$179<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$281<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$375<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser WA Value<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$300<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$263<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$413<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$750<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$6,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kaiser Permanente NW CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$116<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$102<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$160<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$3,400<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$10,200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">Kaiser Permanente NW Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$512<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$448<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$704<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$900<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$5,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP CDHP<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$114<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$100<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$157<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$3,400<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$8,400<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP Classic<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$290<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$254<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$399<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$750<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left\">UMP Select<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$164<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$144<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$226<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$2,250<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center\">$7,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Compare medical plan premiums, deductibles, and other costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":4353,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4355","page","type-page","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","search_bucket-health-insurance","search_bucket-page"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Plan costs: premiums and deductibles - Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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