Switching in and out of ACA Plans

[zinger1457]

when they say 6350 single for out of pocket maximum on these health insurance plans, does the 6350 include,, prescriptions, copays, premiums? if not and you are paying hypothetically 400 per month. at the end of the year your actual out of pocket will be 4800 plus 6350. is that right?

That would be a very worse case situation. People usually choose a HD/HSA plan because they are generally in good health and don't expect to have to pay any or most of the deductible. I've had a HSA plan for the last 5 years and doubt my total out of pocket medical expenses are more than $200.

 

[Mulligan]

That would be a very worse case situation. People usually choose a HD/HSA plan because they are generally in good health and don't expect to have to pay any or most of the deductible. I've had a HSA plan for the last 5 years and doubt my total out of pocket medical expenses are more than $200.

Since I will receive no subsidies, my strategy for keeping the Affordable Care Act affordable are two pronged: maintaining the HSA and and not needing medical services. If the second part ever falters it won't be very affordable to me.

 

[Katsmeow]

That would be a very worse case situation. People usually choose a HD/HSA plan because they are generally in good health and don't expect to have to pay any or most of the deductible. I've had a HSA plan for the last 5 years and doubt my total out of pocket medical expenses are more than $200.

When DH retired we could stay with the PPO we were on or could move to the HD/HSA plan. In our case, we expect to hit the in net work out of pocket max each year (this is mostly for some medications for our kids). THe premiums for the PPO were sufficiently higher than even the lower deductible couldn't make up the difference. So we did the HD/HSA. We just to the rates for 2014 and the PPO costs $18k a year more in premiums than the HD/HSA. There is no possible way that it could ever make economic sense for us to do the PPO. The difference in deductibe between the HSA and PPO family deductible is $2k.

 

[bamsphd]

People usually choose a HD/HSA plan because they are generally in good health and don't expect to have to pay any or most of the deductible.

The other extreme, people who are certain they will hit the out-of-pocket max regardless of which plan they pick also usually choose a HD/HSA plan.

As I analyze the plan's on my state's exchange, my spreadsheet's "Worst case out-of-pocket max + premium" column favors one of the HSA plans.

 

[audreyh1]

When DH retired we could stay with the PPO we were on or could move to the HD/HSA plan. In our case, we expect to hit the in net work out of pocket max each year (this is mostly for some medications for our kids). THe premiums for the PPO were sufficiently higher than even the lower deductible couldn't make up the difference. So we did the HD/HSA. We just to the rates for 2014 and the PPO costs $18k a year more in premiums than the HD/HSA. There is no possible way that it could ever make economic sense for us to do the PPO. The difference in deductibe between the HSA and PPO family deductible is $2k.

Wow - the PPOs I'm seeing don't cost that much.

I'm not sure I see an HD/HSA option. I'm seeing some EPO plans that are a little cheaper, but there is absolutely no out-of-network coverage.