Sometimes, it seems as if navigating health insurance benefits requires its own language (and maybe an actuarial degree to boot). The questions are endless: Is it better to have a high premium and a low deductible, or the other way around? How are you supposed to guess how much money to put in a flexible spending account? Please remind me, what is “coinsurance” again? And perhaps the biggest question of all: Why is all of this so complicated?
The Vox guide to using your benefits
Understanding your health insurance benefits can seem like an impossible puzzle. Here’s your guide to getting the most out of them.


An obscure health insurance alternative is seeing tremendous growth. But there’s a catch.


How to decode your mental heath benefits.


If you think you’re being overcharged on medical bills, you probably are.

An obscure health insurance alternative is seeing tremendous growth. But there’s a catch.

How to decode your mental heath benefits.

If you think you’re being overcharged on medical bills, you probably are.
If you are one of the approximately 65 percent of Americans with private health insurance, it’s essential to actually understand how your benefits work and how to get the most use out of them. We’re here to help. We hope these stories allow you to make the best decisions for you and your health with just a little bit less stress in the new year.
Editorial Lead: Libby Nelson | Editors: Meredith Haggerty, Alanna Okun | Reporters: Dylan Scott, Emily Stewart, Allie Volpe | Style & Standards: Tanya Pai, Caity PenzeyMoog, Kim Eggleston, Elizabeth Crane, Sarah Schweppe, Anouck Dussaud | Art Director: Paige Vickers | Illustrator: Sebastian König | Audio: A. Hall, Jonquilyn Hill, Sofi LaLonde | Audience Lead: Shira Tarlo | Managing Editors: Natalie Jennings, Nisha Chittal | Special Thanks: Blair Hickman, Andrew Losowsky, Sam Hankins, Amani Orr
Everything in The Vox guide to using your benefits

My eyes are part of my body. Why do I have separate vision benefits?

More than half of seniors will sign up for a private version of Medicare this open enrollment. What happened?

How we pay for going to the dentist is supremely screwed up.

Once a year, the absurdities of our health care system are laid bare for everyone to see.

The most befuddling tax break in the US health care system, explained.

Nobody would build a system like America’s on purpose.