Company Insurance Vs. High Deductible Private Plan

Company Provided Insurance Plan

3 (42.9%)

Private High Deductible Plan

3 (42.9%)

Neither

0 (0%)

Other

1 (14.3%)

Total Members Voted: 6

[davann]

Put yourself into the following scenario and vote.

You work for a corporation that offers an insurance plan. The administration of the insurance is sub contracted out to an insurance company but all expenses are paid directly by the company. You have an existing habit that increases costs to cover you and your company has been active in trying to help you break it. For example, you smoke or are over weight. For what ever reason you have not remedied the condition.  The yearly cost to you is increasing substantially each year. You are single. This year it will cost a little over $300 a month for coverage. You rarely see a doctor, once or twice a year, and are in good shape but you are nearing middle age.

Recently, you looked into what the costs of High Deductible Private Plan would cost. You found a significant savings if you dropped the company insurance and went this route. It would be a slight gamble that the amount of yearly doctor visits would not increase.

The main issue is that your company is rather conservative and you may be viewed as a maverick if you dropped the company plan and went off on your own. This decision could change the way upper management views you in a negative way. The main benefit would be a significant savings per month. Say over $200. A side benefit is you will no longer have to feel guilty for increasing the company and your fellow worker's costs to cover you and your bad habit. Keep in mind it is a near guaranty it would not viewed that way by the big wigs.  

Which plan would you go with?

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

Don't you think the company would rather not help pay for your insurance plan anyways?

I go all private PPO style so I don't have to deal with BS HMO crap and I can choose my doctor.

[Lindsey]

I have a PPO through Luxottica.  My insurance is like 80 bucks a month before taxes, and it's not too shabby for the price.  But I also take three prescriptions and have to see a doctor fairly regularly. 

I say drop your company insurance if the coverage is similar and it saves you the extra money.  Maybe get a flexible spending account though and set aside a little bit of money in case you end up needing a few doctor visits or some expensive pills.  If you don't, you can still use it on regular drug store items.