With any family health coverage or individual health insurance policy you use, you'll have certain out-of-pocket expenses along with your monthly premium. These expenses may include your annual deductible, copayments, and co-insurance. While the last two may sound the same, they are, in fact, two quite different things. A copayment is a fixed dollar amount you will pay each time you visit your primary care physician, a specialist, receive prescription medication, or have other basic, routine services. This amount generally does not go towards your annual deductible or your out-of-pocket maximum. Copayments tend to be billed at the time of service. Coinsurance is a percentage of the total cost of your care for which you are accountable. It may range from 10 to 50 percent, and your group health coverage plan will pay the remaining percentage. You will begin to pay your co-insurance amount when you've fulfilled your responsibility for your deductible. Your co-insurance amount will be considered towards your yearly out-of-pocket maximum. Your co-insurance may come into play when you are hospitalized, require emergency care, have a surgical procedure, or use out-of-network care. Usually, you will not be accountable for both the copayment and the co-insurance for the same cost. yet, a bill with several costs may have both co-insurance and copayment claims on it. For example, you may pay a copayment for an office visit that involves lab work and be billed later for the co-insurance part. Copayments, co-insurance, annual deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and monthly premiums: If it seems as though there are many costs associated with health insurance policies, it's important to note there are far more expenses associated with being uninsured. Health care expenses continue to rise every year, and those without health insurance tend to delay or neglect important exams and tests, risking their immediate and long-term health as well as their finances. Health care savings accounts and group health insurance policies can help you save on your insurance costs, as can one of the many affordable health insurance policies customized for your specific needs.