So this is decision time, aka open enrolment, aka big loss of time in the office.
This year, the insurance broker was pushing so hard on the new feature: HSA (Health Saving Account) that it was almost ridiculous. "FREE MONEY people!!!" (</blink>)
They brought a Geek in the meeting that demonstrated -- thanks to a spreadsheet -- that HSA is always better than other the other options. I've asked for the spreadsheet, but he responded, "I'm still working on it", which doesn't sound good. Too bad, because this is probably what would save me lot of time, and also could convince me that HSA is the new dope in Health-city.
But so far, I'm doubtful. I think spreadsheet-guy forgot to do the comparison with HMO in its demonstration. The total cost of Health this year for my entire family is around $2000 (*): ($1200 employee cost + $600 copays&dentals + margin of error), and in all honnesty, I don't think it's beatable by HSA, even after free money and tax benefits, because when you start paying a baby visit something like:
$115 for the visit + (3 shots = $90)
instead of
$15 copay (except first year of life which is free)
then free money runs out very fast and you start tapping in the other type of money, aka the one I'd rather spend on vacations or this awesome Canon L lense.
I miss the french system, not to say it's cheap and awesome, because it is really not (Remember "sicko" the movie? Well... Moore was really inflating quite a few "facts") but at least I don't need to fire up a calculator, or a spreadsheet -- god forbid -- to make a simple decision.
(*) which is low by all figures given during the presentation. Even with pregnancy, the costs didn't go up that much. We paid $250 for the birth: the cost for one hospital admission (And I think we tricked them, because technically only Caroline was admitted, but then we had a bed for Maelys too - $250 FREE MONEY)
