What is a lifetime maximum?
The dollar amount at which the insurance company caps benefits paid for covered expenses in a person’s lifetime. Plan members must pay any additional costs, should medical charges exceed this amount. Plans subject to the Affordable Care Act, which include those effective on or after September 23, 2010, can no longer include a lifetime maximum, also referred to as “lifetime limit”, for the essential health benefits. Insurance companies can still put a lifetime or yearly spending cap on services that are not considered essential health benefits.
