HDHP vs. PPO

I'm mathing out the difference between two plans (HDHP w/HSA and PPO w/FSA) my employer offers for 2024, and the difference (premiums + all OOP costs) comes down to almost exactly the difference in maximum contribution limit between a HSA and FSA, ~$1k, in favor of the HDHP/HSA plan. The main appeals of the PPO plan for me are the FSA money being distributed at the beginning of the year, and the lower costs I'd have to pay *without* accounting for premiums. But, my employer is contributing $700/year to HSAs, so I'd get less taken out per paycheck while still getting the max HSA amount.

I have high enough usage that I'd be using the entire HSA or FSA amount in a year.

If you were in this situation, would you rather pay a lot at the beginning of the year in order to save $1k total for the entire year? I can't really pinpoint an exact month where I'd start saving with the HDHP because my prescription fill and provider visit schedules are funky, but my rough estimate is around August.

I'm leaning towards getting the HDHP because employer contribution, cheaper overall, and if I get laid off I can take whatever's in my HSA with me, but the two factors I mentioned about the PPO are pretty tempting.

submitted by /u/VermicelliNo7367
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