I was torn between Purple and BuyUp, and decided to ultimately keep the BuyUp plan.

We tend to use the basic HC services like Chiro quite a bit and my wife has a prescription which otherwise would cost $100/month ($35 Copay w/BuyUp Plan) and can't use generics ($1200/yr). Couple our cost of basic care with two kids and little stuff that pops up like an MRI and I'd likely be in the over $4600/yr camp; the $480/yr difference in premiums doesn't look that large.

The deductibles do not cross accumulate between Out of Network and In Network care; imagine when you find out the Dr you were referred to isn't in network; I just see that being a possible debacle. Take it a step further, and say your kid's in the hospital and now you have to deal with the additional headaches of getting your tens of thousands of dollars reimbursed. There's a significant penalty with the CDHPs for using out of network care.

The Purple CDHP is a good option for people who seldom use healthcare in general, and you can basically cover the premium costs (approximately $4150/yr) if you don't use the $4600 they credit you with; couple that with it growing at 4% a year you could have a good chunk of change in there after a number of years.

The real question is how much risk are you willing to handle. The CDHP puts more of the risk in your court, but there's more reward for those that don't need much healthcare that year. Overall I think the BuyUp plan is a superior health plan for those who actually need to use it.

Does anyone know if the the Health Care Debit card is only associated with the HSA that you put money into or does the HRA (i.e. $4600 company contribution acct.) also have a debit card associated with it? In my reading I only see the debit card associated with the HSA account.