The Pulse 3:53 pm Thu October 3, 2013  How Affordable Are
Affordable Care Act Options?  That depends.   You plug in your
age and income, and the site pulls up your options: a list of
plans, what they'll cost you each month, whether your current
doctor accepts that particular plan, and other details you'll
want to consider before buying. Among those details: the plan's
deductible and out-of-pocket costs. (The deductible is how much
you have to pay before insurance kicks in. The out-of-pocket
costs are the portion you continue to pay even after insurance
kicks in [for example, some insurance plans cover 80% of a
hospital stay after you've met your deductible, which means
you're responsible for 20%].)  You might be able to afford the
monthly premium, if you earn enough money or you qualify for a
tax credit. But the deductibles and out-of-pocket costs might
still bust your budget. $5000 - $5800...that's the deductible
range for plans I looked at.  It's not so surprising. Health
care costs are going up for almost