Selecting a health insurance plan in the US is a little like going through a maze, or solving an impossibly difficult crossword puzzle. It can be a morass of hard-to-figure-out terms — HMO, PPO, deductible, premium, coinsurance — and plans. Under another Donald Trump presidency, understanding Affordable Care Act insurance plans may get even more confusing. Whether you’re choosing an employer-sponsored plan or you’re shopping on the health insurance marketplace, this chore might be one of the more complicated things you do all year.

“Things change year to year, so even if you think that you’ve got it figured out, you could have a plan that works super and then the insurers will make changes and then that can throw things off for you next year,” says Jessy Foster, the deputy director of policy and partnerships at the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. “There’s a lack of transparency … that makes it hard for people to know what the cost of any specific service is going to be.”

There are generally four ways to get health insurance in the US: employer-sponsored health insurance, individual or private plans purchased through the health care marketplace formed by the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid.

You can’t just decide to do so whenever you want, however. There are a few conditions under which you can enroll in health insurance:

• If you start a new job, you’ll be able to elect health coverage if your employer offers it.
• If you’re turning 65, you can sign up for Medicare.
• If you are low-income, you may qualify for free or reduced-cost health insurance through Medicaid. Each state has its own eligibility requirements.
• If you’re turning 26 and are still on your parents’ plan, you’ll need to get on your employer’s plan or find coverage through the health care marketplace.
• If you’ve experienced a qualifying life event — like losing coverage, getting married, having a baby, or moving — you can enroll in health insurance.
• Otherwise, you can sign up or make changes to your existing plan during open enrollment. Employers set their own open enrollment period for employees to make their selections. Open enrollment for the health care marketplace is November 1 through January 15.

Whether you’ve just turned 26 and are selecting a plan for the first time or are making a change during open enrollment, here are some questions to ask yourself before choosing health insurance. No single factor will determine your choice; rather, take all things into consideration.

What is my budget?

The language associated with health insurance can be confusing. Here are important terms to know:

• The premium is the amount you pay every month to your insurer for coverage. If you get your insurance through your job, this comes out of your paycheck before taxes are taken out.
• The deductible is the amount of money you pay for health services before your insurance kicks in.
• Once you’ve hit your deductible, you’ll pay copayments for any health care service that’s covered under your plan. The amount — for instance, $20 — is fixed for each appointment.
• Coinsurance works similarly but is a percentage of the cost of a covered service and not a flat fee; again, this is only applicable after you’ve hit your deductible.
• Out-of-pocket maximum is the most you have to........
  

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