Yea that's a little odd. We just revamped benefits for a new org (merger) and the biweekly contribution on the HSA for a single is less than $20 (ded $3k) plus the company contributes $500 to the HSA. The PPO is just over $60 biweekly. Both fairly similar plan designs to what you mentioned. I personally like to encourage everyone to be a good consumer and be thoughtful about how they shop around for healthcare, but HDHPs are not for everyone.
I (33F DINK and healthy lol) would probably still go with the HSA in your shoes just to have the opportunity to contribute to the account. Since it can be used for so many OTC items (most of which I purchase on Amazon so have good order history) it's more flexible than locking it up in a 401k. So I max out the match on 401k, then the HSA. (Quick edit, I missed the eye specialist part - I'd still probably go with the HSA but that choice would be because a. I already have a solid HSA balance b. I'd still rather continue to save in a tax advantaged way for procedures/expenses in the future... like Lasik in my case)
I would also recommending confirming with someone in HR/benefits that the company does/doesn't contribute to the HSA. I have seen some companies not cover it in their enrollment material for some reason.
blase89 t1_iyb90qm wrote
Reply to I don't see the point of my employer's HDHP /w HSA compared to the PPO plan by zk2997
Yea that's a little odd. We just revamped benefits for a new org (merger) and the biweekly contribution on the HSA for a single is less than $20 (ded $3k) plus the company contributes $500 to the HSA. The PPO is just over $60 biweekly. Both fairly similar plan designs to what you mentioned. I personally like to encourage everyone to be a good consumer and be thoughtful about how they shop around for healthcare, but HDHPs are not for everyone.
I (33F DINK and healthy lol) would probably still go with the HSA in your shoes just to have the opportunity to contribute to the account. Since it can be used for so many OTC items (most of which I purchase on Amazon so have good order history) it's more flexible than locking it up in a 401k. So I max out the match on 401k, then the HSA. (Quick edit, I missed the eye specialist part - I'd still probably go with the HSA but that choice would be because a. I already have a solid HSA balance b. I'd still rather continue to save in a tax advantaged way for procedures/expenses in the future... like Lasik in my case)
I would also recommending confirming with someone in HR/benefits that the company does/doesn't contribute to the HSA. I have seen some companies not cover it in their enrollment material for some reason.