But the best answers would come from your state's 800 number ACA assistant, I think!

http://www.naic.org/index_health_reform_faq.htm

Yearly deductible is the amount of money you must pay BEFORE your coverage kicks in. In the ACA, deductibles won't count for most preventative care, immunizations, health tests like mammograms/colonoscopies and you'll get those services without having to satisfy any deductible or make any copay (yay!).

Once you start using health services beyond the deductible, you will pay copays for regular doctors visits AND you will be subject to coinsurance payments. Coinsurance is the amount of a bill you also have to pay. If you have 70/30 coinsurance. You will have to pay 30 percent of a charge for a service or hospital bill.

THEN

Once you've started paying coinsurance for stuff and have satisfied your deductible, there will be a point at which your insurance picks up ALL of the rest of your medical bills. That is what is called the yearly maximum out of pocket. Be careful though, because some insurance policies limit the doctors/hospitals/labs/imaging centers you can use. Those are called "in network". The coinsurance usually applies to "in network" charges. You can go to the wrong doctor/hospital/lab/imaging center and wind up paying a much bigger coinsurance for those. You must check the network to see if your doctors/hospitals/labs/imaging centers are "in network" before you actually select a plan. Imagine having the hospital across the street inaccessible to you as it isn't in your network.

deductibles + co-pays.

why are you not explaining this to your wife?

And if you are unable to explain it to her, why are you saying she's not that smart?

that a lot of people liked. I don't understand nearly as much stuff as my wife she usually explains things to me. I asked for help here because I can show her the responses. Also I will learn something as well.