After having my HDHP for a few months and experiencing claims, I became a firm believer that everyone should have a HDHP, for at least a year.  Not for punishment or dealing with a high deductible, but to learn what true health care costs are.  My first experience as an adult with my own insurance was on my husband’s plan through work.  We had a $250 deductible and $500 out of pocket.  Not complaining about the numbers, they were beautiful.  However, I had our son on that insurance and really had no idea what his birth cost.  I would get a bill for $15 or so and just verify that it’s the accurate billing amount.

With my HDHP, I have had to track every dollar and cent that I get charged.  I want to make sure I’m getting the most for my high deductible dollar so I learned, the hard way in some cases, that shopping around and watching every piece of mail from Humana was essential.  Take the decision to have surgery for my son, for instance.  It took 3 different doctors and over 6 months before we decided that we would put him through the procedure.  The second physician, from a highly respectable children’s hospital, charged us 3 times for a second opinion what the original doctor charged us for a consult.  For those of you not familiar with physician billing, a consult is much more involved than a regular office visit and is, therefore, usually more expensive.

When I called to complain about my high bill, the billing person said, ” Well, you have insurance.”  Yes, I have insurance, but I have and HDHP, I had to pay $500 of the $600 charge.  Some may say that would be reason enough not to go with an HDHP, I say, it’s reason enough for me not to use that particular institution’s services again. Having an HDHP empowers you not to stick with the same old same old because it’s comfortable.  You could be saving yourself mongo bucks to move to another physician.

I also learned that even though I knew every time I took my son to the doctor it would cost me $73.41, it never once had me hesitating to take him.  Some things are more important than those deductible dollars…