re: Ignorant question about health insurance deductibles and out of pocket maximums

You pay deductible once per year. So if you hit it in January, insurance coverage will apply the rest of the year. The OOP max is the most you will pay per year, including deductible. So you will pay first $500, and whatever % your plan specifies up to a maximum of $3,000/year.

FWIW $500 is pretty low. if you're pretty healthy and have anything saved up, you would probably save a lot of money if you bumped it up to a couple thousand. you could always set up hsa to pay expenses tax free. my (family) deductible is a few thousand, although company pays a portion.