One unexpected pregnancy and C-section later, her medical bills came to $7,000

HSAs are extremely problematic when it comes to obstetrics. They consider childbirth a major medical event, but not pregnancy, so pre-natal care has to be paid for out-of-pocket.

That's why its called insurance! Sucks to switch to something for a lower premium and then be shocked when your deductible goes through the roof. It sounds like a lot of people who went for the lower premium didn't really think it through except to seize on the opportunity to supposedly save money and then cry about it when their medical bills come rolling in. What do they really save? Like 40 bucks a month? Is that savings worth it in the longterm?

I do however agree with this part of the article, "Americans overuse medical care because insurance insulates them from real costs."

That is simply untrue. Office visits are eligible expenses, as are labs, ultrasounds, and all other aspects of prenatal care. Heck, you can even get reimbursed for the OTC pregnancy test!!

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf

I definitely agree with this - and it is a HUGE reason health care is so expensive.



steph

My HSA pretty much covers anything healthcare related. I can even buy thermometers and bandaids at the pharmacy if I want.

For healthy people who are lucky, these may make sense. But the problem with these types of health plans is that you never know what the future holds. You may be healthy as a horse one day and the next be in the ICU with a shunt in your head...trust me, it happpened to me. This is why I chose a health care plan with all the bells and whistles, and I still have and contribute to a health care spending account.
While I agree that many Americans overuse their health care dollars in some sense, many others don't but we're all made to share the burden.
These plans to me are worrisome, because people truly are waiting to see the doctor. We've seen it time and time again on these boards - people wait, they have a hunch something's wrong but don't see a doctor until it's too late, something awful happens and they die. I don't know about any of you, but I'll utilize every dollar that I pay for health care in order to keep myself and my family healthy.

THIS ARTICLE is exactly why I did not choose our HSA that was offered for the first time this year. But I will say, I can totally understand how some young people would miss this. I'm choosing to have a child sometime this year, but with one oops....it can change your life in sooo many ways.

The patient still has to pay out-of-pocket for them, from their HSA, unless they've reached their deductible. How many ultrasound clinics, labs, and OB clinics post prices? My local Planned Parenthood used to, but they stopped. Health Services at my second college did; you paid 1 price with the school insurance, and another price without (ex. Plan B was $20 with the college plan, $40 without).

How many people know to shop around for health care? Here in MA, no one will tell you how much a visit or treatment costs, unless you go to a Minute Clinic, which just started here. I only know how much my doctor charges for an office visit because my company changed HMOs very quickly, my appointment was before the new card came, they tried to bill the wrong insurance company, and I got a bill.

With an HSA and a high-deductible plan, "I need $20 for an office visit," becomes "Do I have enough for a visit, tests, and treatment ?"