Kim, my insurance plan is a fee for service plan, meaning there is no co-pay (which is a set fee per visit), rather the insurance just pays a straight 90% of the cost and I pay 10%. This is for providers in the network only, out of network, insurance reimburses for a lower percentage. There is a $200 deductible per person, and well-care visits are not subject to the deductible. So an intake appointment with a GP would be considered well-care and so would not apply to the deductible and would simply be paid for at the 90% rate. I consider this a good plan.

Here are some recent charges for services. These costs are network provider costs, they would charge more to people who aren't part of this plan or another that hasn't contracted for a lower rate (the power of a group insurance plan).

Clinic visit with family doc, $86
In-office surgery by family doc (to remove a plantar wart), $147
In-office surgery by family doc (attempt #2 to remove the wart), $124
Assistant gyno-surgeon at in-hospital surgery, $134
HPV vaccine, $135
Nurse charge to administer vaccine, $34
Routine vision exam by opthamologist, $131

Those are just some of the charges from my most recent statements. Hope that gives you an idea of what things might cost. I would have to pay 10% of these costs once my deductible was met. My insurance pays $150 every 2 years for glasses. That's not much as glasses cost quite a bit more. I would recommend getting your eyeglasses prescription filled before you come to the U.S.

I pay about $50 a month in insurance premiums to cover me and my 2 girls on a family plan. This is considered very reasonable here (it is insurance through my employer).

Antibiotics are very cheap, if generic. Less than $5 on my plan. I'm not sure about birth control pills. If you don't have an insurance plan that covers prescriptions, you can get some sort of generic discount prescription card. I had never heard of these, but someone posted about them in the Drugs forum a couple of months ago. Apparently they are legit and anyone can use them at preferred pharmacies.

Hope this helps!