Two weeks ago - after much discussion with my husband, fine-tooth-combing our family budget, using three comparison tools and a medical cost estimator, and reading every page of communication my employer sent on the subject - I enrolled my family in a high-deductible health plan with an HSA for 2009. I still wonder if I did the right thing.
Ever since, I´ve found myself preparing for a sort of health care Armageddon - scheduling myself, husband and children for every doctor´s and dentist appointment we need, weaning my infant daughter off a long-term medication, and informing the specialist she sees (and that we adore) that we likely won´t be back to see her because I´m not sure we´ll be able to afford the office visit come January.
Although it took much consideration, I feel railroaded into my decision. The HDHP I was offered carried about the same premium as the current PPO that covers my family now -already near the top of what our family can afford. The more traditional health coverage options were two and three times what we currently pay, and there´s no way we could sustain that (while continuing to save for retirement and meeting our monthly expenses).
So, I did the only thing I could do: checked the HDHP option, funded my HSA up to the deductible and hoped for the best.
Even though I can´t change my decision now, I still question it. I´ve discovered that writing about this topic and living it are two different things - and I consider myself much more informed than my colleagues at other non-benefits-related publications.
So I turn to you EBN readers, the exceptional pros that you are, for advice and assurance (and promise not to hold you accountable). Any recommendations you have would be great; just tell me what you would if I worked at your company.
