Originally Posted by badflaps (Post 1770114)

Maybe, I have serious reoccurring melanoma, thank you DPMP. It gets me a hot **** doc who don't take medicare.

Originally Posted by RockyBoy (Post 1770080)

$528/mo for DPMP vs. $176/mo for the Silver HSA? That is $4200 per year in premiums. I figure that unless you are 100% sure you will have a medical issue that will run you to the $2600 deductible in the Silver HSA, you would be better off taking the risk and going with the HSA. Throw the $4200 a year into your HSA and after a couple years you will have enough to always pay the max out of pocket if something bad does happen.

I just don't see the DPMP being a good option for very many of us. It might be "easier", but I don't see how it can be cheaper unless you know you will spend lots on healthcare.

Someone told me it was a "no brainer" for me with a family to be in the DPMP. Last year we used up $650 from our HRA money which cost us 0$ because that is money Delta puts in. Had we been in the DPMP we would have had had about $400 out of pocket expenses (Deductible + 20% copay after deductible). We also would have paid thousands more in premiums. Every year during open enrollment I go back and look at what my costs would have been the previous 3 years for each plan being offered. I then go with the plan that would have been the cheapest overall. So far in 8 years the DPMP would have cost me tons more than any of the other plans.

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1770141)

It's true, the cheapest HSA plan is the best deal if nothing ever happens to you or anyone on the plan. But that's not why I buy insurance.

And hopefully you are the exception to the rule, but if you do ever need serious medical care, you'll find from experience that quality varies widely. With DPMP, I can go to Sloan-Kettering, The Mayo Clinic, or anyplace and see anyone I like without going 'out of network', and paying through the nose to have my life saved. And DL can't change the plan, because it's contractual. The others are not, and can be changed anytime for whatever reason.

One other thing. If you have a wife on the plan, you'll be amazed at the cost of women's health care. Guys are like Chevy's, for the most part. Just put gas and oil in it, wash it now and then. Women, well, think 1978 Ferrari. Sure, it looked great when it was new, and boy was it fast. But keeping it running and looking like a well-cared-for classic is a freaking financial black hole. It just keeps getting more expensive, and parts, well... don't get me started!!

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1770141)

It's true, the cheapest HSA plan is the best deal if nothing ever happens to you or anyone on the plan. But that's not why I buy insurance.

And hopefully you are the exception to the rule, but if you do ever need serious medical care, you'll find from experience that quality varies widely. With DPMP, I can go to Sloan-Kettering, The Mayo Clinic, or anyplace and see anyone I like without going 'out of network', and paying through the nose to have my life saved. And DL can't change the plan, because it's contractual. The others are not, and can be changed anytime for whatever reason.

One other thing. If you have a wife on the plan, you'll be amazed at the cost of women's health care. Guys are like Chevy's, for the most part. Just put gas and oil in it, wash it now and then. Women, well, think 1978 Ferrari. Sure, it looked great when it was new, and boy was it fast. But keeping it running and looking like a well-cared-for classic is a freaking financial black hole. It just keeps getting more expensive, and parts, well... don't get me started!!

Originally Posted by Sink r8 (Post 1770150)

Thanks for the insight. I think I'm going to the DPMP. I don't think it will be the cheapest option, but it may be the option that lets me sleep best at night.

I do believe that there is still an "out-of-network" to the DPMP, but it has reasonable reimbursement, doesn't make you jump through the burden of establishing a separate deductible for out-of-network, and the deductible is manageable besides.

Originally Posted by flyallnite (Post 1770022)

To add on to what you said, I've found that the paperwork and planning associated with managing an ever changing HSA account is not worth the time or effort. And I've had a few years where unplanned medical expenses made me wish I'd had the DPMP. It seems with the other plans, I'm always paying more than I expected, for everything, including dental. Yes the premiums are a bite out of your paycheck, but I don't have to give my biometric information to anyone, and I don't have to keep records, receipts, account ledgers or submit expenses to anyone. I just go and they pay. Done. And I sleep better knowing that if anything happens, I can go see whomever I choose, and it's covered.

Originally Posted by gloopy (Post 1770174)

That's what I'm trying to figure out as well. I like the idea of my tax free money going in and I keep it, but do they hassle you with "deny deny deny fill it out in triplicate deny deny deny oh so close but deny deny deny, ok we'll pay" like the bogus flex spending nazis do? Or are HSA's different/better in that regard?

I was close to getting the DPMP but went with an HSA. What I *think* the out of pocket maximum would be is one thing, but you hear horror stories about out of network Tylenols and people get billion dollar bills when they thought they were in network, etc. For the HSA's we have, max out of pocket is the absolute max no matter what, in or out of network, right?