"I recently struggled with choosing between five different health insurance plans. There were a lot of cost differentials between coinsurance, copays, deductibles, premiums, and the tiers of in-network versus out-of-network costs. It was a lot for the average citizen to tease apart from choosing the most cost-effective plan. Not to mention, how one justifies the costs on a personal level, monthly or annually, really depends on the individual. So I sat down and went over my healthcare needs for the last three years and projected a slightly increased average for the next year. I adjusted my livable budgeting plan and created a chart for the total cost of those needs across all tiers, coinsurance, copays, deductibles, and premiums. It was far more work than anyone should be expected to do, but in the end, I think I saved thousands of dollars in healthcare costs annually."