Coinsurance in insurance refers to the amount a policyholder must pay for a health insurance claim over and above the deductible. With coinsurance, the expense of medical services is shared between you and your health insurer until your out-of-pocket maximum is reached.

Throughout this article, you’ll learn about coinsurance including its definition, how it works, and how much you will be asked to pay.

What Is Coinsurance In Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a cost-sharing plan in which you pay your share of medical expenses, and your insurer pays its share. Coinsurance in insurance is the percentage you pay as your share of any covered medical services after paying your deductible. 

Coinsurance in health insurance shows as a proportion such as 80/20, in which 20% is coinsurance. That means the insured is responsible for 20% of medical costs while the insurer is responsible for the remaining 80%.

Moreover, some plans have a coinsurance ratio of 80/30%. In this instance, 30% coinsurance means the insurer will pay 70% of the allowed medical expenses, and you will pay 30%. 

Likewise, 50/50 coinsurance also follows the same concept.  50/50 coinsurance means the insurer will pay half, and you will pay the other half. However, your out-of-pocket expenses, in this case, will be higher than in a case where there is a coinsurance ratio of 80/20.

How does coinsurance work?

A health insurance plan has three cost-sharing provisions: coinsurance, copays, and deductibles. These provisions involve specific costs that you have to pay before your health insurance company will cover your medical expenses.

To better understand how coinsurance works, it is worthwhile to break down how health insurance payments are made step-by-step.

First Step: Payment of Copay 

A copay, also called copayment, is a set amount you pay every time you visit an in-network doctor or pharmacy. Co-payment fixed amounts show up clearly on your health insurance card. However, the majority of health plans don’t require copays to share healthcare costs. Some health plans count copays towards deductibles, while others don’t.

Second Step: Deductible Payment

The deductible represents the amount you must pay before your health coverage kicks in. Your health plan pays nothing until you meet your deductible. Suppose your insurance policy has a deductible of $2,000; you will be required to pay that amount before receiving coverage.

Third Step: Coinsurance Payment

Once your deductible has been reached, the next step is coinsurance payment. After paying your coinsurance share, your health insurance kicks in to cover the rest of your medical expenses. You will keep paying your coinsurance payment until your out-of-pocket maximum has been met.

Fourth Step: The Out-of-Pocket Maximum

In health insurance plans, the out-of-pocket maximum determines the maximum amount you’ll be required to pay for covered services per year. You pay this amount for deductibles, copays, and coinsurance under your health insurance. If you reach the out-of-pocket maximum before the end of the year, the insurance company will bear all the costs through the rest of the year. You just need to continue paying the premiums for your policy to remain active.

However, keep in mind that these four cost-sharing provisions start over every year!

Coinsurance Example

As a coinsurance example, assume you have health insurance coverage with the following features:

Annual deductible: 2000$
Coinsurance:  80/20% 
Out-of-pocket maximum: $4,000

Let’s assume that you are admitted to the hospital for the first time during the year for surgery, which cost $12,000 in hospital expenses.

• The first payment you make is the deductible of $2,000. As the plan’s out-of-pocket maximum is $4000 for the year, which means you still have $2,000 in financial responsibility for covered medical costs.

• With an 80/20% coinsurance ratio, for the remaining 10,000$ in covered medical expenses, you pay 20% (2,000$) as your share, and your insurer pays (80%) $8,000.

• Now, you’ve paid your $2,000 deductible and $2,000 in coinsurance, and you’ve reached your $4,000 out-of-pocket maximum for the year. That means you won’t be charged a coinsurance fee for covered services for the remainder of the year.

Coinsurance Vs Copay: What’s the Difference?

A copay and coinsurance are basically similar, except for one major difference: In contrast to coinsurance, which is the percentage of the total cost, a copay is a fixed dollar amount. 

With a copay, you know you will pay a set amount each time you visit your doctor. Alternatively, coinsurance means you will pay a percentage of what the doctor charges, so the higher the underlying bill, the more you will need to pay.

Let’s look at an example. If you have a health plan that requires you to pay copays instead of coinsurance. Depending on the types of health care you receive, your health insurance policy will have some fixed costs:

• 10$ copay for a routine doctor’s visit
• 30$ copay for each prescription
• 100$ copay for specialists such as a cardiologist
• 200$ copay for an emergency room visit. 

The chart below highlights the differences between coinsurance vs copay. Check it out!

Coinsurance	Copay
It is a cost-sharing provision between the health insurance company and the policyholder.	An out-of-pocket expense paid by policyholders on prescriptions, doctor visits, and other health care services.
A percentage of total costs of the medical bill.	The copay is a fixed amount set by the insurer based on the medical service.
Policyholders start paying coinsurance once they have met their deductible.	Copay becomes effective before policyholders meet their deductibles.

The Bottom Line

To find the best coinsurance plan for you, you must first determine what your health needs are and what you can afford. A high coinsurance health plan can make budgeting your healthcare costs more difficult as you pay a much higher percentage of your medical bills. A policy with low monthly premiums typically has a higher coinsurance, whereas plans with high monthly premiums usually have a lower coinsurance.