Your guide to coverage & care

Spoiler alert: We are a health insurance company and we’re about to tell you that you need to buy health insurance. Big surprise, right?

Health insurance talk can feel like another language. And even for those of us who are fluent in it, there’s still room for confusion! Read on for a crash course in translating health insurance lingo into language you can better understand.

As if buying health insurance isn’t hard enough, what with all the confusing lingo, it can be a challenge just to figure out what all those initials stand for in the plan names.

It might be tempting to buy a health plan based with the lowest monthly premium, but if you do, you might be surprised at your costs at the end of the year. So, when you compare plan prices, it’s important to estimate your total yearly costs so you can find a plan that meets your needs and budget.

When you buy health insurance, you can choose from four categories called “metal levels”—Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. These have nothing to do with the quality of care. Instead, the differences are based on how much each plan will pay for covered costs, compared to what you’ll pay.