When Do You Pay A Health Insurance Deductible? 
You pay the health insurance deductible when you begin incurring medical expenses . The purpose of the deductible is to discourage unnecessary utilization . If you do not visit the doctor or go to the hospital during the plan year there is nothing to pay beyond the premium costs . On the other hand , if you do utilize medical services , you are responsible for 100 % of those expenses until reaching the plan 's deductible . 