For thrifty consumers, there’s a lot to like in high-deductible health insurance. The plans offer low monthly premiums and those fees fully cover preventive care, including annual physicals, vaccinations, mammograms and colonoscopies, with no co-payments.
The downside is that plan participants must pay the insurers’ negotiated rate for sick visits, medicines, surgeries and other treatments up to a minimum deductible of $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for families. Sometimes deductibles are much higher.
Let’s keep it civil.
I’ve not had a HDHP with a higher deductible than the annual HSA max (for my family), but I agree if you end up in that boat it’s just self insuring for smaller claims which is frustrating. I think there should be a max deductible on the plan that matches up with the HSA max contribution so there’s not a self insuring gap.
But I think there are benefits to having control of my smaller, regular healthcare purchases. I don’t need approval to go to physical therapy, and I can buy over the counter stuff, eyeglasses, etc. without asking Anthem, Cigna, or Huamana for permission. So I favor the plans that bring control to consumers as long as they don’t leave people with big coverage gaps.