Wife and I Disagree About Health Insurance

Robert and his wife disagree about their health insurance options and he calls Dave for his opinion.

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[pyrosp]

Insurance just needs to be separated from work and let people choose insurance from the market place. It would also allow companies to raise income for people instead of offering insurance.

[jukey]

I hate the fact when I have health insurance I still have to pay. The fact you have to pay monthly and still pay your doctor bill. The concept should be pay for insurance and get free healthcare service. ( which is still not free because you’re paying for insurance) this system is so stupid.

[JoeLozano]

Dave : “Dying is cheaper than ppo and hsa “ sell the car

[kirby]

Sounds like the guy just heard HSA's are better and told his wife they need to go that route but he didn't actually run the numbers. He needs to just run both sets of numbers like Dave said and make a decision based on that. I don't think that's what he did.

[richard]

Unless you are sick all the time the HSA is usually better than the PPO. HSA typically has lower up front costs like premiums and ongoing costs like max out of pocket. The PPO typically has higher premiums and higher max out of pocket but it's cheaper when you get health care for things like doctors appointments. The PPO is the way to go if you are really worried about your health and tend to spend a lot. The HSA is better if you don't see the doctor often. Also HSA has a tremendous tax advantage with the savings account.

[ChewyHighHAD]

I wish insurance companies were selling $5100 deductible HDHP.... Most of them are $7, 500 to $12, 000. Such a massive racket.

[jeffjberry]

An HSA isn't an insurance plan. You're referring to an HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan) which can be an EPO, PPO, or HMO. HSA (Health Savings Account) is just a feature in some qualifying plans. That PPO his wife is talking about might just have one. This call made me laugh as an insurance agent. Insurance is freakin confusing, isn't it? :-D

[iw]

I verify insurance for a living . Literally thousands of plans across the US . Never heard of a max out of pocket of 500k. The most I’ve seen is 12k (which is also ridiculous) Also - we always (if we can) go PPO. We have always always had a PPO. I have 2 kids under 4 and we go the doctor a lot . I can’t give them all my money to meet the deductible on the HMO/ HSA. A plan with an HMO/HSA can be very limiting on who you can see. With a PPO I can see anybody and I don’t have to get insurance approval .Also HSA is not an insurance - it’s just an account you put money in to pay medical expenses (which they also have for the PPO, they just call it the FSA) . When I was pregnant i wanted the best coverage with the lowest out of pocket and that’s what the wife wants . I had a HSA/ HMO when I was first pregnant and every time we went to the doctor “that’ll be $694, $312, $456” depending on what I was getting done . On my PPO I paid a flat $50 copay every time . The HMO/HSA almost broke us at the beginning

[ChrisInvests]

It's best to separate your emotions from your financial decisions 🤷‍♂️

[darfcrow]

Dave, you didn't listen well enough to understand the question.

[zayacz]

The way I understand it, this is employer subsidized insurance. Wife wins. She doesn’t trust his math.

[Newtttton]

You have a new born. Get the best protection money buys. That’s PPO. Wife wins.

[cmpdas]

I ran the numbers on a 10k bill and a 20k bill...and as far as I can see my ppo would end up costing more than the hsa at bcbs when all is said and done.

[angryarkie]

Please stop coaching people on health insurance. You completely messed that up.

[petesspspsps]

This guy simply doesn't understand health care or the terminology. He's confusing premiums with saving in an HSA (which has nothing to do with your premiums). Not to mention he's confused about his deductible/out-of-pocket, etc. Dave realizes it's a lost cause towards the end. This guy needs to spend some more time learning about the insurance...

[nicolemb]

Health Insurance has to be looked at individually..can't just say HSA or PPO is better. I work in this field and you can't just make a blanket statement like that.

[dajaegers]

You don't need feelings...you need a calculator. Love DR!!

[LilMermaid]

My mind hurts. lol. I know I have HSA but I don’t go the hospital a lot. So yeah that’s as much as I know lol

[duran]

What?! Is there a premium lower than $580 a month that would cover preexisting conditions?! I’m paying that for BCBS PPO 🥴 it’s hurts badly

[willmallory]

Bottom line: make decisions based on logic (math) not emotions!