Here's how the plan works:
- Your health expenses are paid by your HRA first
- Your employer contributes money to your account each year
- Your HRA pays your eligible medical and pharmacy expenses as long as there are funds in it
- These payments apply toward your annual deductible
- You make no copayment at your doctor's office
Then, you pay the rest of your deductible
- Your annual deductible is the amount you need to pay before your medical plan pays
- If you use all of your HRA, you then pay the rest of the deductible amount out of your own pocket
- Preventive care is covered up to 100 percent, whether or not you have met your deductible
After that, you pay only coinsurance
- Once you have met your deductible, you and the medical plan share expenses. You may see this referred to as coinsurance
- For your protection, there is a limit on how much you need to pay out of your own pocket. This is called the out-of-pocket maximum
- After you reach your out-of-pocket maximum, all eligible expenses are covered up to 100 percent for the rest of the year