Claude: Compare Two Plans Side by Side

Choosing a plan in isolation is hard. Choosing between two plans is much easier — because comparison makes trade-offs visible. Anthropic's Claude shines here. It has one of the largest context windows on the market, so you can drop two full SBC PDFs into a single conversation and ask Claude to put them head-to-head.

What You'll Learn

• How to upload two SBC documents into Claude in under a minute
• The "Comparison Matrix" prompt that produces a decision-ready table
• How to ask Claude to score each plan against your lifestyle
• When PPO beats HMO (and when it doesn't) for a young, healthy adult

Step 1: Get Both Plans Into Claude

On claude.ai (free tier works for this):

1. Click the paperclip icon to attach two PDFs — Plan A's SBC and Plan B's SBC.
2. If you don't have PDFs, paste the text from each plan, clearly labeled "PLAN A" and "PLAN B".
3. Confirm Claude has read both by asking: "Confirm you can see both Plan A and Plan B. Tell me the deductible of each."

If Claude misreads a number, correct it before going further. This step takes 30 seconds and prevents bad downstream analysis.

Step 2: The Comparison Matrix Prompt

Send Claude this prompt:

"Build a side-by-side comparison matrix of Plan A and Plan B for a US first-time buyer. Use this exact row structure:

1. Monthly premium
2. Annual deductible (individual)
3. Out-of-pocket maximum (individual)
4. Primary care visit copay
5. Specialist copay
6. ER visit cost
7. Generic Rx copay
8. Brand Rx copay
9. Mental health visit cost
10. Network type (HMO/PPO/EPO)
11. Out-of-network coverage (yes/no, what %)
12. Preventive care covered at 100%? (yes/no)

Use a markdown table. Below the table, write a 3-bullet 'who each plan suits best' summary."

You'll get a complete side-by-side in seconds. Claude is particularly good at flagging when the SBC is ambiguous — it will write "not specified in document" rather than guessing.

Step 3: Make It Personal

The matrix is informational, but you still need to decide. Add this follow-up prompt:

"I'm 26, generally healthy, take one $15 generic medication monthly, and visit a primary care doctor twice a year. I'd rather pay more monthly to avoid surprise bills.

Given my profile, score each plan from 1 to 10 on:

• Predictability of monthly cost
• Total expected yearly spend in a healthy year
• Worst-case protection if I had a $20,000 hospitalization
• Flexibility to choose any doctor

Then pick a winner and explain the trade-off you're accepting."

Claude will produce a scored comparison with a clear recommendation — and importantly, it will tell you what you're giving up by choosing that plan.

When PPO Beats HMO for a Young Adult

A typical recommendation Claude might produce: "For someone in their mid-20s who travels and values flexibility, a PPO often wins despite the higher premium, because it allows out-of-network care and skips referral hassles. However, for a student who stays in one city and is on a tight budget, an HMO is usually the smarter choice — the savings are real and the in-network requirement rarely matters."

These are general patterns — your math may differ. Use Claude's reasoning as a starting point, not gospel.

Disclaimer

Claude is excellent at reasoning over the documents you give it, but it doesn't know your specific employer subsidy, your spouse's plan options, or your live network status. Treat its recommendation as a strong informed opinion, not a final answer. A licensed broker can confirm before you enroll.

Key Takeaways

• Claude can read two full SBC PDFs in one conversation thanks to its long context window.
• Always confirm Claude has read the documents correctly before asking for analysis.
• The Comparison Matrix prompt produces a 12-row table you can act on.
• The personalized scoring prompt forces Claude to recommend a winner and name the trade-off.
• Use Claude's recommendation as an informed second opinion, not the final word.