# Health Plan Cost Calculator | Lighthouse Legacy Strategies

> Compare two health plans on estimated total annual cost, including premiums, deductible, copays and coinsurance, plus the worst case exposure of each.

Canonical page: https://lighthouselegacystrategies.com/financial-tools/health-insurance-cost-calculator

# Which health plan may actually cost you less, in about 4 minutes

The cheapest premium is not always the cheapest plan. Enter two plans and the care you expect, and see the full year side by side.

Want help understanding your results?

## What this assumes

- Copays are treated as paid outside the deductible, which is how many plans work but not all of them. Check your own summary of benefits.

- Other medical costs run against the deductible first, then coinsurance applies to the remainder, and the out of pocket maximum caps what you pay.

- Prescription costs are added as entered and are not run through the deductible or any separate drug tier, because those vary enormously by plan.

- Premiums are never included in an out of pocket maximum, and they are not here either. Worst case adds a full year of premium to the plan's maximum.

- No employer contribution, HSA, subsidy or tax treatment is applied anywhere.

## Reading your result

### What this calculated

A full year for each plan: twelve months of premium, plus the deductible and coinsurance your expected care would trigger, plus copays and prescriptions, capped by that plan's out of pocket maximum.

### Why the number matters

Premium is the number people compare because it is the one shown first. It is usually the smaller half of the decision once real care is entered.

### What could change it

A single unexpected procedure moves a high deductible plan sharply and barely moves a low deductible one. That is the whole trade, and it is why the worst case column is shown next to the expected one.

### Reasonable next steps

Run it twice: once with the care you expect, and once with a bad year. Choose the plan you could still afford in the second scenario, then confirm the details against each plan's summary of benefits.

This tool is educational and does not provide financial, investment, tax, legal or insurance advice. Results are estimates based only on the information you enter and the assumptions shown, they are not a quote, an offer of coverage or a promise of any outcome, and your actual situation will differ. Insurance guarantees are backed by the claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Speak with a licensed professional before acting on anything you see here.

## Other tools worth two minutes

## Numbers are a start. A conversation is the next step.

Bring what this gave you. I will tell you what it misses, what it gets right, and what is actually worth doing about it.

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Lighthouse Legacy Strategies, the independent insurance practice of Sharon Donovan, a licensed life insurance and annuity agent in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas, based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Retirement income planning, annuities, life insurance and IUL with living benefits, final expense and mortgage protection.

Sharon Donovan (501) 516-9456 (call or text), sharon.donovan@wealthwave.com. By appointment, including evenings. Most consultations happen by phone or video.

Important disclosures: Lighthouse Legacy Strategies is an independent insurance practice. Sharon Donovan is a licensed insurance agent (NPN 18170848) in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas. This website is for educational purposes only and is not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Policy loans and withdrawals reduce cash value and death benefits. Not affiliated with any government agency. Full set: https://lighthouselegacystrategies.com/disclosures

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