Free tool
Health plan comparison calculator
Enter two plans from their summary sheets. See what each would cost you over a whole year, premiums included, in a light, medium and heavy year.
Choosing a health plan usually means trading a lower monthly premium for a higher deductible, or the other way round. The right pick depends on how much care you use, which nobody knows in advance. This health plan comparison calculator puts two plans side by side and works out the total yearly cost of each, premiums plus what you pay for care, in three kinds of year: a light year with two doctor visits, a medium year with a few visits and a monthly prescription, and a heavy year with a hospital stay. It also finds the break-even point, the amount of medical bills at which the two plans cost the same. Copy the numbers from each plan's Summary of Benefits and Coverage. The usage assumptions are rough examples and can be edited. Treat the result as an estimate to help you ask better questions, not as advice.
How this works
- Premiums = monthly premium × 12.
- Care: visits and prescriptions cost their copay when the plan has one (never more than the price). Everything else (and visits or prescriptions without a copay) goes into one pot. From that pot you pay the first dollars up to the deductible, then the coinsurance percent of the rest.
- Cap: copays + deductible + coinsurance never exceed the out-of-pocket max.
- Total yearly cost = premiums + care.
- Break-even = the yearly medical bill (all through the deductible) at which both plans cost the same, found by checking every $50 from $0 to $250,000.
- A warning appears when an out-of-pocket max is above the 2026 individual limit of $10,600 listed by HealthCare.gov.
New to the terms? Read what a deductible is and how health insurance works.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the numbers live in this page's web address, which is how the copy-link button shares a result.
Questions people ask
- Is a lower premium or a lower deductible better?
- It depends on how much care you use. A low premium with a high deductible usually costs less in a healthy year and more in a year with a big bill. The break-even figure shows roughly where that switch happens for the two plans you entered.
- What is an out-of-pocket maximum?
- The most you pay for covered, in-network care in a year; after that the plan pays 100%. Premiums do not count toward it. For 2026, HealthCare.gov lists the limit as $10,600 for an individual and $21,200 for a family.
- Why is my real bill different from this estimate?
- Real plans have details this tool leaves out: separate drug deductibles, services covered before the deductible, out-of-network charges, and prices that vary by provider. Use the plan’s Summary of Benefits and Coverage for the exact rules.
- Is this advice on which plan to choose?
- No. It is an estimate from the numbers you enter. For help choosing, a licensed insurance agent, your HR benefits team or a Marketplace navigator can go through your options.