Newcomers to US/California trying to select a plan
My husband and I are trying to select the best plan for us from several employer provided options and we are a bit overwhelmed by the differences in the healthcare system here.
We are currently both late 20s and fairly healthy which would lead me to think we might be better off going for an HSA plan. Also, the employer funds 1500 to the HSA annually.
We aren’t 100% without health issues however:
I had a scare recently with bad chest pain that turned out to be pleurisy. I’m ok now but I’m worried something like this could happen again
I also have frequent sinus headaches due to non-allergic rhinitis and I wasn’t able to find a treatment regime that works for me before getting here
We are pretty sure that husband has undiagnosed ADHD and may want to pursue diagnosis and treatment if he has issues in his professional life.
We are also wanting to have kids in the next couple years here, but I think we do have the option to switch plans before we start trying.
Bearing all that in mind, our plan options are:
Kaiser HSA plan: (3500 deductible, out of pocket max 6500, most costs are 20% after deductible instead of copayments and no out-of-network coverage aside from emergency and urgent care)
Kaiser Plus plan: (1140 per year, no deductible, out of pocket max 3000, copayment for everything instead of percentage and no out-of-network coverage aside from emergency and urgent care)
Aetna HSA plan: (3500 deductible, out of pocket max 6500, most costs are 20% after deductible instead of copayments, this HSA has higher maximums than the Kaiser ones)
Aetna PPO base plan: (1500 deductible, out of pocket max 4000, co-payment for everything instead of percentage)
Aetna PPO Plus plan: (1140 per year, no deductible, out of pocket max 3000, co payment for everything instead of percentage)
Any insight into our options would be helpful. I understand the differences in the plans on paper but I don’t have the background to know how this would translate to cost and service in practice.
