A deductible is the amount you pay before insurance participates. Raising it lowers the premium and raises the size of a bad month.

Pricing the trade

Compare the annual premium saving against the extra deductible. If saving $180 a year raises your exposure by $1,000, the trade only makes sense when you could absorb that $1,000 without borrowing.

Emergency fund link

Your deductible sets the minimum sensible size of your cash buffer. Choose them together.

Out-of-pocket maximum

On health plans the maximum matters more than the deductible in a serious year. Read both before comparing prices.