High-deductible health plan

Health care in the United States
Government Health Programs
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Indian Health Service Veterans Health Administration Military Health System / TRICARE Medicare Medicaid / State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Prescription Assistance (SPAP)
Private health coverage
Health insurance in the United States Consumer-driven health care Flexible spending account (FSA) Health reimbursement account Health savings account High-deductible health plan (HDHP) Medical savings account (MSA) Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) Managed care (CCP) Health maintenance organization (HMO) Preferred provider organization (PPO) Medical underwriting
Health care reform law
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (1986) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (2003) Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (2005) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)
State level reform
Massachusetts health care reform Oregon Health Plan Vermont health care reform SustiNet (Connecticut)
Municipal health coverage
Fair Share Health Care Act (Maryland) Healthy Howard (Howard Co., Maryland) Healthy San Francisco

A high-deductible health plan (HDHP) is a health insurance plan with lower premiums and higher deductibles than a traditional health plan. Being covered by an HDHP is also a requirement for having a health savings account. Some HDHP plans also offer additional "wellness" benefits, provided before a deductible is paid. High-deductible health plans are a form of catastrophic coverage.

In the United States

In the U.S. participating in a "qualified" HDHP is a requirement for health savings accounts and other tax-advantaged programs. As of 2010, HDHPs are plans with a minimum deductible of $1,200 per year for self-only coverage and $2,400 for self-and-family coverage. The maximum amount out-of-pocket limit for HDHPs is $5,950 for self-only coverage and $11,900 for self-and-family coverage. (However, according to the instructions for IRS form 8889, "this limit does not apply to deductibles and expenses for out-of-network services if the plan uses a network of providers. Instead, only deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses for services within the network should be used to figure whether the limit is reached.") The Internal Revenue Service released the 2010 amounts on May 15, 2009, which will be modified each year to reflect the change in cost of living.

Year	Minimum deductible (single)	Minimum deductible (family)	Maximum out-of-pocket (single)	Maximum out-of-pocket (family)
2009	$1,150	$2,300	$5,800	$11,600
2010	$1,200	$2,400	$5,950	$11,900
2011	$1,200	$2,400	$5,950	$11,900

External links

• IRS Publication 969
• Davis, Karen; Michelle Doty and Alice Ho (2005-04-20). "How High Is Too High? Implications of High-Deductible Health Plans". The Commonwealth Fund. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=274007. Retrieved 2007-10-08.