...o co-pay, except it’s a percentage of costs you pay. For instance, you may pay 20% of the cost of a $200 medical bill. So you would pay $40 and the health plan would pay the rest. How Insurance Protects You Insurance coverage protects you in two ways from high medical costs: Out-of-pocket maximum: This is the total amount you will have to pay if you get sick. For example, if your plan has a $3,000 out of pocket maximum, once you pay $3,000 in dedu...