High deductible health plans are increasingly common – more than half of all people who are covered by workplace insurance plans and 90 percent of those covered by health plans offered from state insurance exchanges are high deductible plans. High deductible plans require policyholders to pay out of pocket for 100 percent of the cost of their medical care until they reach a deductible of at least $1,350 for an individual or $2,700 for a family. These are minimums. Many plans come with substantially higher deductibles that –- when a serious medical need arises -– are beyond the patient’s financial grasp.