Deductible
The amount an employee pays before the plan begins reimbursing.
A deductible is the fixed amount paid out of pocket in a plan year before coverage responds. It may be per person, per family, per benefit, or applied only to specific categories such as drugs.
Deductibles suppress low-value claims more than they save on large ones, which makes them a blunt instrument for cost control but an effective one for reducing claim volume and administration.
What this means for a BC plan
Because BC PharmaCare already applies its own income-based deductible, layering a private drug deductible on top can leave lower-income employees materially exposed. Model the interaction before adding one.
Related terms
Where this comes up
What drives the price of a plan · All glossary terms · Ask an advisor directly
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