Under a family deductible provision in a major medical policy, how many deductibles may satisfy the deductible requirement for the entire family per calendar year?

Under a family deductible provision in a major medical policy, how many deductibles may satisfy the deductible requirement for the entire family per calendar year?

• A. A Single Deductible Applies to Entire Family
• B. Maximum of 2 or 3 Deductibles Per Calendar Year
• C. Family Deductible Is Not Allowed
• D. Deductibles Reset Monthly

Answer: (B)

A family deductible works by letting the deductible be satisfied through the combined out-of-pocket amounts paid by family members, up to a limited number of individual deductibles within the year. In many major medical policies, the contract specifies that a maximum of two or three individual deductibles can count toward meeting the family deductible in a calendar year. Once that limit is reached, the family deductible is considered satisfied and benefits begin for everyone for the rest of the year. This is why the answer is that the deductible can be satisfied by a maximum of 2 or 3 deductibles per calendar year. The idea that a single deductible covers the whole family isn’t accurate for this provision, and deductibles reset annually, not monthly. Family deductibles are allowed and are typically designed to ease coordination for families with multiple insured members.

A family deductible works by letting the deductible be satisfied through the combined out-of-pocket amounts paid by family members, up to a limited number of individual deductibles within the year. In many major medical policies, the contract specifies that a maximum of two or three individual deductibles can count toward meeting the family deductible in a calendar year. Once that limit is reached, the family deductible is considered satisfied and benefits begin for everyone for the rest of the year.

This is why the answer is that the deductible can be satisfied by a maximum of 2 or 3 deductibles per calendar year. The idea that a single deductible covers the whole family isn’t accurate for this provision, and deductibles reset annually, not monthly. Family deductibles are allowed and are typically designed to ease coordination for families with multiple insured members.