I'm starting a new job soon, and I have four health plans to pick from. All are in the same provider network and prices are approximate:
Plan 1: $200 per month, $500 deductible, $1500 OOP max, most charges 100% covered after deductible
Plan 2: $211 per month, no deductible, $2500 OOP max, non-wellness visits all 20% of allowable benefit until OOP max is reached
Plan 3: $270 per month, no deductible, $1500 OOP max, no charge for most visits
Plan 4: $140 per month, $3400 copay, $6350 OOP max, HSA plan and all covered after deductible
With the HSA plan as the baseline, Red is $60 more per month ($720 per year), White is $71 ($852), and Blue is $130 ($1560)
I think for at least this year, using one of the non-HSA plans makes most sense so I can use and max out an FSA (I have a $300/month out of pocket medication that is not covered, so an FSA would help out a lot with that). I also don't think I have enough expected health expenses for Plan 3 to be worth it. That leaves Plans 1 and 2
Plan 2 is about $11 per month more than Plan 1 and has no deductible, but it comes with a 20% copay until I hit the out of pocket maximum. I am leaning toward Plan 2 because the monthly cost difference is pretty low. I'll also have a doctor's appointment over the summer. I had previously been on a high deductible HSA plan, and that appointment would cost about $120 out of pocket pre deductible. My understanding is it would cost $24 under the no deductible copay plan, a savings of $96 versus the same visit under Plan 1. If true, that would bridge the cost cap between the two plans alone for the rest of 2026.
Anything else I should be considering, or anything I'm missing in my analysis? Typing all of this out makes me think Plan 2 is the best value for my needs, as aside from that one appointment and maybe another one or two this year I don't expect to have many non-medication health expenses?