Gawdomity---kaiser

[denton]

The new high-deductible plans are a very good way to go.

Our company checked out a couple of different options, and ended up with one.

We compared a conventional $500 per person/$1,000 per family plan with a $3,000 deductible and a company funded $3,000 per year HSA. The second alternative was cheaper.

So the net result is that the company puts money in my HSA every month, and I can spend it on any health related item... vitamins, physical therapy, stuff from the health supplement store. In effect, until I meet my deductible, I have no co-pay, and practically no restriction on how I spend the money in my account, as long as it is health care related. The one thing to be careful about is that only purchases covered by your plan count toward your deductible.

The new HSA's are different from what we used to have. First, the money rolls over from year to year. Second, when you retire, you keep any money in the account, and can continue to use it for health care.

The other neat thing is that Congress very recently changed the law capping your HSA contributions at your deductible. Your HSA max is now $5,6xx per year per family, regardless of deductible.

As it happens, we have a neighbor, who is an excellent doctor, who practices at the insurance company's clinic. So we mostly go there, and we buy our prescriptions there, too. That way, the deductible automatically gets accounted for.