Like other adult things, choosing your first health insurance plan seems scary until you do it.

Lots of acronyms you never heard before? Check. You know it's going to hit your wallet? Check. It's some mysterious part of your job with a lot of brochures? Check.

When you're looking through your plan choices, ask yourself what's going on in your life, says Jeff Oldham, senior vice president of global and institutional markets at Benefitfocus, a benefits enrollment software company.

But first, learn the following words and acronyms. When you meet with the HR people at your company, you'll have a head start and the sheer bulk of information won't seem so daunting.

You'll need to know these terms so you can make informed decisions: