Health Insurance: High Deductable vs. Low Deductable

[SharkOnLand]

and it's only a matter of time before boy wonder breaks an arm or a leg, or splits his head open, or burns his hand playing with firecrackers, or, or, or......

he's already had stitches in his lip, infectious disease, peanut allergy, and three rock-in-nose episodes (the most recent on monday).


boys.

Explain please.

Find a little rock. Stick it as far up your nose as it will go. Try and get it out. Boys seems to be obsessed with sticking things in bodily orifices....

[buffettbride]

and it's only a matter of time before boy wonder breaks an arm or a leg, or splits his head open, or burns his hand playing with firecrackers, or, or, or......

he's already had stitches in his lip, infectious disease, peanut allergy, and three rock-in-nose episodes (the most recent on monday).


boys.

Explain please.

Stitches in the lip:
The Halloween before last, which is also my birthday, I was at my daughter's class bowling party as room mom. I get a call from Matt, who is frantic for me to meet him at Tony's school because I have the car seat. He was twirrling around and fell on the corner of a table and split his lip open. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting him sewn back up in time for trick-or-treating taht night.

Infectious disease:
Both hubby and the boy spent most of 2006 and 2007 battling MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection. After multiple doctor and specliast visits, 6+ rounds of antibiotics, and anal-retentive hand washing and house keeping (including washing everyone's towels and sheets EVERY DAY), we have been rid of the nastiness for over a year.

1st rock in nose:
Bad day care place let my then 2.5 year old take a nap with a rock the size of a small marble. He stuck it up his nose, told the teacher, but the school never called us. On the way home from school Tony said he had a rock in his nose. Doctor had late hours that night and extracted the rock with nose forceps. Never went back to that day care again.

2nd rock in nose:
Tony at new *great* preschool. It's the day of a big camping trip and hubby and I are at home frantically packing. Get a call from school. Rock in nose. Pick up the boy and begin planning doctor visit. Boy is able to sniff out the rock by the time we pick him up.

3rd rock in nose:
The rock that wasn't a rock, he actually stuck a nickel-size piece of foam rubber up his nose from the time-out chair at preschool but told his teachers he put a rock up there. I get there to assess the situation but see nothing up his nose. Take him to urgent care (no doctor appointments the rest of the afternoon). Doc doesn't see anything up there either, and thinks he must of blown it out, even though we couldn't find the evidence. Doctor tells us to bring him back if he starts stinking *really*really*really* bad as a sign the object is rotting in his sinuses. Thankfully, whatever was up there came out because no stinking has commenced.

[PHAW Webmistress]

Doctor tells us to bring him back if he starts stinking *really*really*really* bad as a sign the object is rotting in his sinuses. Thankfully, whatever was up there came out because no stinking has commenced.

OMG - I did that when I was a kid but it was a little piece of paper that an ENT FINALLY found after I stunk for like forever and no one would hang around me

But back to the HSA don't forget the tax advantages from your deposits into it

Oh and if there was EVER any doubt my employer is the best - ANOTHER perk I get is he funds my HSA

[buffettbride]

Doctor tells us to bring him back if he starts stinking *really*really*really* bad as a sign the object is rotting in his sinuses. Thankfully, whatever was up there came out because no stinking has commenced.

OMG - I did that when I was a kid but it was a little piece of paper that an ENT FINALLY found after I stunk for like forever and no one would hang around me

Hubby's neice did that with cardboard.

[pema]

Oh yeah. This HSA thing. I like it better than an FSA because it's not "use it or lose it."

Is it all paper-claim filing or do they give you the "heath savings visa" type thing? Little of both?

We're slackers so I'm not sure paper claims are our thing.

you will prolly get a visa/mc debit card with the account. you will be able to pay for medical expenses with that. however, it's better to file a claim in case you meet your deductible. that way you won't have to prove that you did.

Okay. Let's say that we start the HSA and start contributing. Then, in January, my son jumps off the playground equipment and breaks his leg. We get a bill for $2000, but obviously we have not yet contributed that amount to the HSA yet.

Would we then pay with out-of-pocket funds instead of our HSA funds?

it would be better tax wise to deposit the money into the HSA when you receive the bill, and then pay the bill from the HSA. you can make additional deposits above your payroll deduction contribution and claim those on your tax return at the end of the year.

i'm hearin' that. but if we haven't already contributed enough to the HSA via payroll deduction, we'd have to add MORE to the HSA outside of the payroll deduction and THEN pay the bill.

do i get it?

yes, if you want the tax savings, the money would have to be deposited in the HSA before it is spent on medical expenses.

[AlbatrossFlyer]

have you considered buy your own pair of nose forceps?

[buffettbride]

have you considered buy your own pair of nose forceps?

not quite. but we have thought about buying one of those ear thingies the doctor uses to check for ear infections. and hubby almost sewed his own finger closed when he almost chopped it off cutting the bagel.