There are many factors to consider when choosing a health plan. Provider networks are usually at the top of my list, but for today, let’s focus on plan design.

A $5,000 deductible HSA Plan (i.e., one with no co-pays) has a monthly premium of $573; a $5,000 deductible plan with first dollar coverage for office visits and drugs (i.e., co-pays) $660. The annualized savings is $1,044 or about 13%.

Interestingly, the savings is only about 4% for plans with and without co-pays but a lower $2500 deductible.

Remember that all plans are required to pay for preventive care at 100%, so which plan makes most sense for you depends on how frequently you seek care or fill prescriptions.

And what if your health changes after you buy coverage? Will you be able to change plans once a year?

Factoring in to the math are the tax benefits of HSAs - which vary based on income – and your eligibility for a Flexible Spending Account.

We ask our employees and consumers to sort all this out with a calculator and a crystal ball.

Hopefully they take more than 30 Seconds!