Does anyone here use an HSA health insurance plan, but also take a monthly prescription?

[Anonymous]

My health insurance costs are killing me, but I'm afraid to switch to a high deductible plan because I take an antidepressant (generic lexapro).

I can't find any clear info about what my prescription would cost without coverage. Anybody have any insight?

[ARTESTJ]

I have a high deductible plan ($4000 a year) and my wife is a diabetic, so we deal with the same thing. However, given that:
1. Once we meet the deductible everything is covered 100%
2. The total yearly cost for the HDP is about $4800.
3. The only other plan available HMO plan at costs about $11,000 a year
it ends up costing us less per year to have the HDP than anything else.

As for how much your lexapro cost, that is a whole other ball of wax. Fortunately generic Lexapro (called escitalopram) was approved by FDA in 2012, so the cost should have come down a lot. Unfortunately, the cost of every type of prescription drug varies from town to town and even pharmacy to pharmacy. It's like a buying a used car. One dealer want's $2000, when the guy down the street wants $500 for the same car. I've heard that https://www.goodrx.com/ can help finding the lowest cost for a particular drug in your area, but I've never tried it.

I would suggest looking into a HSA account (Health Savings Account). I put money into my HSA account all year, so when January 1 rolls around, and I'm out of pocket again, I can pay for everything until I reach that magic $4000 again. As long as the money is used to heath care related cost, that money is not lost. I get to keep it for the rest of my life, so even if I were to never meet the $4000, it still my money.

[Asker]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Health care & insurance is ridiculously confusing! I'll check out goodrx to see if I can find some numbers to compare. I'm on a "select network" HMO type plan right now and on top of being very limiting, I can't tell if it's the best choice.

[ARTESTJ]

Yes, Health Care & Insurance is ridiculously confusing (and until next year, my wife and I have two plans that I have to coordinate between). Of all the things in my life that I wish I could do without, that is probably on the top of my list. Unfortunately, not only is being uninsured illegal now, I would go bankrupt without it, so...

What might be helpful is to talk to a Heath Insurance representative. I don't know how you get your insurance, (i. e. Employer, self-insured, etc), but normally there is someone, normally the guy trying to sell you insurance, that can talk to you about it. They can at least help you understand the ultimate costs.