In plain English
On a plan that covers several people, each person may have a personal pay-first amount for covered costs. That amount is the individual deductible. Once that person has paid it, the insurer begins paying that person's covered claims, and it is separate from any deductible shared by everyone on the plan.
In context
Here, "individual deductible" labels the amount each covered person on the family plan must pay toward covered costs before the insurer begins paying that person's covered claims, separately from any deductible that applies to all covered people together.
- Situation
- Reading premium, deductible, excess, copay, limit, and out-of-pocket fields
- What it communicates
- labels the per-person deductible figure on a family plan page
Meaning limits
The term alone does not state the amount or which expenses are treated as covered costs under the plan.
Examples
“Lena met her individual deductible in March, so the plan started paying her covered claims even though the family deductible had not been met.”
“For each child on the family plan, the individual deductible is tracked separately from the amount paid toward the family deductible.”