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My wife, son and I are on a Fortis single-deductable family plan, with a HSA (Health Savings Account, formery MSA Medical Savings Account). Our family deductable is 3500 (maximum family out of pocket is 3500 per year) and then insurance pays 100%. We can contribute 80% of our deductable each year into our HSA tax free, and then use the HSA dollars for any medical expenses (including ones that don't apply to the deductable). Any unused HSA money rolls over each year, and earns about 5% interest. We pay $242/month for family coverage. Blue cross wanted almost $400/month for a copay plan. We are both mid 30's non-smokers. What we do is condribute about $200/month to the HSA, and hopefully in 2 years we'll have about $5k in there for a medical rainy day. Once you get your deductable amount in your HSA it is easy to maintain, and then you can take advantage of the good rates with the high deducatable (assuming you are healthy). Best of all you get the HMO negotiaged rate when you go to doctors, so things end up being cheaper that cash rates. The big test comes for me in January, I am having hernia surgury. So my HSA savings is out the window at that point.
At age 65 the HSA savings can be treated like a IRA and used for anything you like and taxed at your then current rate when you withdraw. So an HSA is really like an IRA that you can use for medical expenses until you retire. Then you can use it for anything.
Be prepared to go thru serious underwriting if you do an individual policy. They really check out your medical history, take blood, urine, and height/weight.
DT
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