Practical guide
Understanding health plan cost comparison — sensitivity table
Everyday editorial team · GEOINNOVATION CO., LTD · Published · Updated
What this calculation is for
Comparing health plans requires both premiums and the cost-sharing rules that apply when care is used. The plan with the lowest deductible or lowest premium need not be cheapest at every level of spending.
How the method works
The model adds annual premium, modeled spending below the deductible and the entered member coinsurance after the deductible. Both plans are tested against the same care-spending assumption. The displayed model uses: Annual premium plus the estimated member share after deductible for entered covered care.
A worked example
For an illustrative health plan cost comparison scenario, use Plan A monthly premium: 400 $; Plan B monthly premium: 320 $; Plan A deductible: 1500 $; Plan B deductible: 3000 $; Expected annual covered care before insurance: 5000 $; Plan A coinsurance after deductible: 20 %; Plan B coinsurance after deductible: 20 %. The modeled lower estimated annual plan cost is $7,000. These are example assumptions, not current prices, official benefit amounts or personalized advice.
Assumptions and real-world differences
The simplified calculation excludes out-of-pocket caps, service-specific copays, uncovered care and network pricing. It is not a recommendation to switch coverage. A simplified comparison; network, prescriptions, copays, out-of-pocket maximum and coverage rules vary.
Reading the plan a monthly premium sensitivity table
The tool evaluates the same model across a range of plan a monthly premium values while holding other assumptions constant. Choose a realistic low value, high value and number of points. Each row reports the same headline measure; the table is a set of conditional calculations, not a probability distribution or a forecast. Input-step rounding can make nearby rows equal.
Reproduce this tool’s example
These fixed example inputs are independent of edits you make above. Enter them in this tool to reproduce the result, then replace them with your own assumptions.
- Minimum plan a monthly premium
- 200 $
- Maximum plan a monthly premium
- 600 $
- Number of comparison points
- 5 points
- Plan B monthly premium
- 320 $
- Plan A deductible
- 1,500 $
- Plan B deductible
- 3,000 $
- Expected annual covered care before insurance
- 5,000 $
- Plan A coinsurance after deductible
- 20 %
- Plan B coinsurance after deductible
- 20 %
Sensitivity analysis: 5 comparison points
Plan A monthly premium ranges from $200 to $600.
- Plan A monthly premium: $200: $4,600
- Plan A monthly premium: $300: $5,800
- Plan A monthly premium: $400: $7,000
Frequently asked questions
- Is the coinsurance field the insurer’s share?
- Use the member-paid percentage requested by the field. Entering the insurer’s percentage would reverse the intended cost share.
- Which inputs should I check before using this health plan cost comparison estimate?
- Check plan a monthly premium, plan b monthly premium, plan a deductible, plan b deductible, expected annual covered care before insurance, plan a coinsurance after deductible, plan b coinsurance after deductible. Match each field’s unit and time period, then compare the detailed rows rather than treating the headline alone as the complete answer.
- Does the most favorable row show the most likely outcome?
- No. The table assigns no likelihood to any row. It shows how the result responds to the chosen assumption, and you remain responsible for selecting a plausible range.