High deductible heath plans maim and kill people

[Ms. Toad]

14. It actually doesn't

If you are purchasing your own insurance the numbers are generally the same.

You seemed to be arguing that there is no place for high deductible plans, because unexpected innocent events would wipe out younger individuals. My point is that if you are truly interested in getting the best comprehensive coverage (either personally or for your employees) it is very often much more cost effective to buy a high deductible policy - even if you hit the out of pocket max every year (or you pay for 100% of your employees out of pocket expenses) - because of the difference in cost of the premiums.

I'm not saying that insurance is cheap - or that you won't go bankrupt because of unexpected medical expenses - or that employers aren't very different in what they provide. An employer who is truly interested in providing health care for its employees can very often provide better coverage for the same or lower cost by providing a high deductible plan and an HRA. An employer who isn't interested in providing health care may, of course, only provide a high deductible plan without reimbursement - or none at all. That has nothing to do with whether high deductible plans can play a responsible role in coverage of health care needs.