Help me understand the best option!

My annual enrollment is coming up and I'm trying to do the math on which plan would be best for me. I think I understand it, but would just like opinions to make sure I'm understanding correctly. I've been with this employer for three years and in prior years got the most expensive plan, but now I'm thinking I might do better with the base plan or CDHP. I spend a lot, mostly on therapy.

Here is my typical usage:

Six mental health care appts. per month. One specialty drug per month. The cost is about $600. In prior years, I have gotten copay assistance to cover the full cost and the insurance has counted it towards the oop max. I'm hoping (and these #s assume) that this will be true next year. Annual appt with pcp for managing cholesterol drug. Annual appt with derm for specialty drug.

Plan A – $0 premium cost to me. $1K deductible, $3,000 OOP max. Office copay, including mental health $30. No deductible on therapy.

Therapy would cost me $180 per month until I would meet OOP max. This would take less than 4 months with the therapy and medication, which ends up cheaper annually than the $180 premium I currently pay.

Plan B – $100/month premium. $500 deductible, $2500 OOP max. Office copay, including mental health $30. No deductible on therapy.

I would meet the oop max in a little over 3 months with the $180 per month for therapy, but the savings would be diminished by the premium cost.

Plan C – $185/month premium. 0 deductible, $2000 OOP max. Office copay $30 but $0 mental health copay.

I save the $180 per month on therapy, but spend it on premiums the whole year. Although I met the oop max in April, I haven't benefited much because most of my care was the therapy, which had 0 copay anyway.

Plan D (CDHP) – 0 premium and employer would contribute $200/month to HSA. $3300 deductible, $4200 OOP max. 20% coinsurance for everything.

I'm thinking that if I can afford to pay OOP for the therapy until I meet the deductible, that this would be the best option, because I would still meet the OOP max in three months. I would put out about $2200 on the therapy before meeting it, with the drug assistance meeting the other $2000, but I would be saving on the premium plus getting a total of $2400 from my employer in the HSA.

I'm not super familiar with HSAs – could I put the OOP cost for the therapy in there and then use that money to pay for it (and I would save on taxes, right)? Could I change the amount put in the HSA after the oop max was met?

submitted by /u/garbageclams
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