If you know these words, you will understand how your health plan coverage works, which will allow you to determine your immediate, upfront costs, and how much things like an annual doctor visit or an emergency room visit will cost you. As you look for the right health plan coverage for you, be sure to remember these key words. They will affect not just your monthly cost – but how much you'll need to pay down the line when something comes up.

Monthly Cost (or Premium):
The amount you pay every month to have health insurance. (This typically ranges between $200 - $1200, but may vary based on your plan.)

Deductible:
A certain amount that you must first pay before your health insurance will cover any part of your bill. (Typically $500, but may vary based on your plan.)

Co-Insurance:
After you pay off that deductible, often you and your health insurance company will split the remainder of your bill. (The standard split is 80/20 – your health insurance company pays 80% after you have paid your deductible and you will pay 20%. These percentages may vary based on your plan.)

Out-of-Pocket Maximum: This is the total amount you can be charged in medical expenses within a one year period. Once you reach it, your health insurance company will pay the rest of your bills, 100%. So if you reach your out-of-pocket maximum (after you've paid out your deductible and co-insurance), your health insurance company will pay the rest of your bills in that year. (An out-of-pocket maximum varies based on your plan.)

Co-Pay:
A small fee you pay every time you see a doctor. (This cost may vary based on what type of medical treatment you are seeking but typically costs between $10 - $50.)

From a pediatrician to a podiatrist, some health plans will cover all types of care, while others will cover the emergency room only. The main services that you need to think about are down below. To see which of are available in a particular health plan, go to our partner site, ehealthinsurance.com.

When you get there, follow the prompts and click "Plan Details" (just like in the picture below).rom a pediatrician to a podiatrist, some health plan coverage covers all types of care, while others will cover the emergency room only. When you decide which health plans coverage to buy, you need to consider what kind of care you can and cannot receive. There are some main services you need to look at. You can find these down below. To see which of are available in a particular health plan, go to our partner site, ehealthinsurance.com. When you get there, follow the prompts and click "Plan Details" (just like in the picture below).

Doctors Visits
Some health plans will cover all types of doctors, while others only pay for a trip to the emergency room. To decide on which health coverage plan you want to buy, first you need to understand if doctor and specialist visits are covered. Click here to better understand what doctors/specialists are covered.

Prescription Drugs
Some health plans will cover your prescription drugs and others will not. If prescriptions are covered, consider:

• Prescription deductible (this is how much you must pay in prescription drug costs before your health insurance company kicks in and helps you pay for your prescriptions. You must pay this amount every year you have the plan.)
• How much of generic prescriptions are covered vs. a brand name
• How much of pharmacy prescriptions are covered vs. mail order

Hospital Coverage
A hospital visit can include of services from the simplest procedure to the most complex surgery. Each service comes with a cost. For anything hospital related, look at which services will fall under your bill and which will be up to your health insurance company. Most specifically, you want to make sure your health plan covers the following. (If it does cover these services, you'll also want be sure to find out what percentage of the bill will be covered):

• Emergency Room Visit
• Outpatient Lab/X-Ray
• Outpatient Surgery
• Hospitalization (services related to staying at a hospital for either scheduled procedures, accidents or medical emergencies)

Preventative Care Coverage
If preventative care is important to you, think about what you are responsible for in terms of payment vs. what your health insurance company will have to pay when you decide on a health coverage plans. Common preventative care services include:

• Periodic Health Exam
• Periodic OB-GYN Exam
• "Well Baby Care" (this is care for children that typically includes routine immunizations and screening procedures)

Maternity Coverage
If you are having or thinking of having a baby, congrats! Look to see that the following is covered:

• Pre & Postnatal Office Visit
• Labor & Delivery Hospital Stay

Other Services
You may have needs for additional services, such as the ones below. If so, look to see whether or not they are covered when choosing your health plan coverage:

• Chiropractic Coverage
• Mental Health Coverage
• Substance Abuse Coverage
• Out of Country Coverage

Use Our Partner Site To See What's Available
Again, to decide on health insurance plan coverage, use our partner site, ehealthinsurance.com.and Click plan details to view what plans are available to you. Ehealthinsurance is the largest online health plan supplier in the country. When you get there, click "Plan Details" (just like in the picture below) to see which of the items above are included in a particular plan.

The one thing you need to know to answer this is network. Every health plan has a network, which is a group of specific doctors you can see when you have that plan. Each health plan has a different network, making it impossible to list every set of doctors here. See down below to determine which doctors are in each health plan's network and how much it will cost to see those who are not. This will help you decide which health plan coverage is best for you.

In-Network Doctors
You may have a particular doctor you are already going to or one you'd like to see. To be 100% clear, it is best if you call the doctor's office directly and ask if they are in a particular health plan's network. To see if that doctor is in a plan's network, the best source we found is ehealthinsurance.com (click "Find a Doctor" when comparing plans).

Out-of-Network Doctors

If you want to see an out-of-network doctor, it usually costs more. Some health plans cover part of the bill for an out-of-network doctor, while others simply won't cover anything at all. To understand how much it will cost to see an out-of-network doctor, when you decide on a health plans, you can check on ehealthinsurance.com (click "Plan Details").

You type in "health insurance" or "health insurance quotes" and hundreds of sites pop up of. You go to one, enter your zip code, and other information about yourself and quotes for health insurance plans appear.

The hidden secret? Nearly all these sites get these quotes from the same place -ehealthinsurance.com. Ehealth is the 800 pound gorilla. They spent over a decade building relationships with 180 health insurance companies across the country. Ehealth is the #1 source for comparing health insurance plans online.

You can easily compare and contrast what's out there and purchase what makes sense for you or your family. That's why ehealth is great and why nearly EVERY site leads you to them.

Decision Bucket partners with ehealthinsurance and gives you the tools to understand what each plan means to make the right choice for you. So go see it – see the plans that are available to you.

When comparing plans, you can always go to know it, where you'll find exactly what you need to know to make the right decision.