Catastrophic health insurance is a type of medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This is a type of high-deductible health plan for people under 30 or those who qualify for a “hardship exemption.”
Catastrophic plans are designed to protect you in a worst-case scenario; for example, if you get into a medical emergency and your medical costs total thousands of dollars. Monthly plan premiums tend to be lower, but you’ll generally need to pay for all health-care costs out of pocket until you reach the plan’s annual deductible, which is usually at least a couple thousand dollars.