Health Plan Categories
Categories: Insurance
You buy a trip to an island resort. It has a bunch of price levels, ranging from cheap (but still nice) to all-inclusive luxury.
The bronze plan lets you go to the water park and ride the roller coasters...however, you have to buy your own food and drinks. The silver and gold plans include escalating amenities and higher quality meals. Then the platinum package includes all food, drink, and amenities, as well as access to a secret room in the basement, the contents of which the salespeople can't talk about over the phone.
Health plans come with the same type of levels. They're usually designated using various precious metals, typically starting with bronze, moving through silver and gold, before topping out with platinum.
The metals designate the plans' level of coverage. Bronze and silver programs will typically have higher copays and more restrictive offerings. They may also leave out certain categories of coverage. Gold and platinum plans cover more, but the additional benefits come with higher monthly premiums.