Should I switch to a high deductible plan if I need medical procedures?
Switching to a high-deductible health plan while facing imminent medical tests or specialist visits means paying out-of-pocket for expensive care before meeting your deductible. This makes it difficult to weigh the tax advantages of an HSA against the immediate, high costs of upcoming diagnostics.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Crunching numbers and calculating annual premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums
- 2Asking for input and cost comparisons on online financial forums
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just started a new job where I am offered between HDHP and PPO for my insurance. This is my first time having this offer and I’m not sure what’s the right decision.”source ↗
“My biggest hang up is around my weekly therapy session. I usually just pay the copay every week but turns out, her service is $200 without health insurance”source ↗
“Currently, I’m leaning towards HDHP.”source ↗
“I was planning to switch to a high deductible plan so I can start contributing to an HSA, but I suddenly have constant stomach pain and need to see a GI and might need an endoscopy this winter. Is it a bad idea to switch now?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Employer dropping health insurance after a major medical claim
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- 3Health insurance options for owner-only businesses
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