Open Enrollment: Check My Work?
I have a choice of three plans this year. I’ve always chosen the HDHP HSA in the past and I think that’s still solid. Here are summaries:
Plan
Premium/mo
Deductible
OOP Max
Notes
HDHP HSA
170
3300
5000
Employer contributes $750 to HSA annually
Surest
220
0
6000
pushes online care, copays only
High POS
420
1500
3000
very low copays for most care
I have enough money in my HSA to cover the OOP max for the HDHP plan, and the way I see it, the total OOP max (including premiums and minus employer HSA contribution) for the plans are about $6300 (HDHP), $8700 (Surest), and $8000 (High POS). That is before considering the approximately $800 tax benefit of the pre-tax HSA contributions I can make.
I am middle-aged with a few health problems. I tried to work out an estimated total cost for a kind of “typical” year including 3 primary care visits and 2 specialist visits, and I got $2400 (HDHP), $2900 (Surest), and $5200 (High POS) for that. Obviously if I need surgery or something like that, we’re in the “max cost” situation covered above. I think the HDHP and High POS plans have the same networks; I’ve been on the HDHP plan for a few years and not had an issue with network. I don’t know what the network is like for the Surest plan because it is a little different.
The only advantage I see to the Surest or High POS plan would be if I didn’t have funds to cover unexpected oop medical expenses, but I do. It feels like otherwise the HDHP is by far cheaper.
Anything I am overlooking here?
