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.
Maybe I just got lucky, but the companies I’ve worked at the HDHP was significantly less expensive but also HR would encourage fully funding the HSA when you select it (one of them auto enrolled a substantial amount in HSA). There was still savings vs other plans even after fully funding. Also, both companies directly funded a portion of the HSA which I believe is common.
I don’t know if there’s HDHPs on the marketplaces but I’m not sure they should be. And I know that medicare plans are not HDHPs (this is mentioned in the article) since they don’t make sense for people who are struggling. But I think for people in the middle they are a really good option that should be encouraged.
I have heard of people using them as second retirement funds, but my family has always had enough medical costs to consume the value.
That’s the thing about HDHPs…they aren’t really great unless you are also actively funding your HSA. Which, unlike an FSA, doesn’t lose its balance at the end of the year.
At my employer, it also worked out that
HDHP Premiums+Funding HSA to cover the whole deductiblecost less over the course of the year thanPPO Premiumsalone.That, to me, makes the HDHP the best option no matter how you look at it…as long as the HSA can cover your deductible.
And even then, it allows the balance over a certain amount to be invested in funds similar to a 401k, so not only do you not lose the funds at the end of the year, you are also keeping it invested instead of losing value to inflation.