US Medical Term · insurance
Premium
Prima
What it means
A premium is the amount you pay for your health insurance every month. HealthCare.gov, a website of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, adds that in addition to your premium, you usually have to pay other costs for your health care, including a deductible, copayments, and coinsurance. Another HealthCare.gov glossary entry describes the premium as a monthly amount you pay for coverage whether you get services or not. If you have a Marketplace health plan, you may be able to lower your costs with a premium tax credit, a tax credit based on the household information and estimated income entered on the application. After you enroll in a plan, you must pay your first premium directly to the insurance company, not to the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Premium in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Prima
- Gender and article
- feminine: la prima
- Pronunciation
- PREE-mah
Prima is the glossary entry on CuidadoDeSalud.gov, a website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which defines it as la cantidad que paga por su seguro de salud cada mes. It is feminine: the entry writes su primera prima. The Real Academia Española dictionary, under the entry primo, ma, gives the commercial sense of prima as precio que el asegurado paga periódicamente al asegurador (the price the insured person periodically pays the insurer). The same dictionary entry also has the family sense, hijo del tío de una persona, the word for a cousin.
The verb CuidadoDeSalud.gov uses with it is pagar: debe pagar su primera prima directamente a la compañía de seguros. Words that appear beside it are deducible (deductible), copagos (copayments), coseguro (coinsurance) and prima mensual (monthly premium). The glossary entry for the premium tax credit is titled Crédito tributario para la prima, and the same entry also writes crédito tributario de prima.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | Is the premium the amount I pay every month? | ¿La prima es la cantidad que pago cada mes? |
| Clinician | Yes, you pay the premium for your coverage whether you get services or not. | Sí, usted paga la prima por su cobertura independientemente de que reciba servicios o no. |
| Patient | Do I pay my first premium to the insurance company or to the Marketplace? | ¿Le pago mi primera prima a la compañía de seguros o al Mercado? |
| Clinician | The first premium is paid directly to the insurance company. | La primera prima se paga directamente a la compañía de seguros. |
| Patient | Besides the premium, what other costs will I have? | Además de la prima, ¿qué otros costos voy a tener? |
| Clinician | You usually also have a deductible, copayments, and coinsurance. | Por lo general también tiene un deducible, copagos y coseguro. |
| Patient | Can a premium tax credit lower my monthly premium? | ¿Un crédito tributario para la prima puede reducir mi prima mensual? |
| Patient | My employer pays part of my premium. Where can I see how much? | Mi empleador paga una parte de mi prima. ¿Dónde puedo ver cuánto? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Premium |
| Spanish (Español) | Prima |
| Chinese (中文) | 保费 |
| Korean (한국어) | 보험료 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Phí bảo hiểm |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Premium |
| Portuguese (Português) | Prêmio |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | เบี้ยประกัน |
| Japanese (日本語) | 保険料 |
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Insurance and billing
All terms in this area: Insurance and billing — Seguro médico y facturación
Related guide
→ US Guide: how us health insurance worksSources
- Premium - Glossary | HealthCare.gov — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Prima- Glosario | CuidadoDeSalud.gov — Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid (CMS)
- Premium tax credit - Glossary | HealthCare.gov — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Crédito tributario/fiscal de prima - Glosario | CuidadoDeSalud.gov — Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid (CMS)
- primo, prima — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026