Yorkieabroad

I don't think it is family-size dependent - this is from the IRS website:-

QUOTE
SECTION 1. PURPOSE

This revenue procedure provides the 2015 inflation adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) as determined under § 223 of the Internal Revenue Code.

SECTION 2. 2015 INFLATION ADJUSTED ITEMS

Annual contribution limitation. For calendar year 2015, the annual limitation on deductions under § 223(b)(2)(A) for an individual with self-only coverage under a high deductible health plan is $3,350. For calendar year 2015, the annual limitation on deductions under § 223(b)(2)(B) for an individual with family coverage under a high deductible health plan is $6,650.

High deductible health plan. For calendar year 2015, a “high deductible health plan” is defined under § 223(c)(2)(A) as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,300 for self-only coverage or $2,600 for family coverage, and the annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) do not exceed $6,450 for self-only coverage or $12,900 for family coverage.

SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

This revenue procedure is effective for calendar year 2015.
UNQUOTE

I haven't got round to putting ours in yet this year, but was going to go with the 6650 unless I'm misreading it...?

Pulaski

Hmmm. Interesting. I will have to look further in to that, and possibly take it up with HR.

Yorkieabroad

Do your company make a contribution for you? Presumably that 6650 is the total from all sources?

Pulaski

That might be part of the explanation, ..... ..... I bet it is linked to me (head of household, with Little Miss P's insurance) plus Mrs P (who is also permitted to make a lesser contribution to her HSA), and then employer contributions to both my HSA and Mrs P's HSA. The numbers look like they add up that way.

kodokan

It's cheaper than hubby's high deductible plan at his old firm (the only plan offered). That was about $570 a month for our contribution, with deductibles of $3k/$6k.

Contributions were based on salary levels (banded at under $50k/ $50-$100k/ $100k+), so anyone earning a reasonably professional salary was paying almost the full cost of the insurance, and massively subsidizing the minimum-wagers. I occasionally point this out to Americans who drivel on too long about how they'd hate to be paying for poor people through taxation like with socialized healthcare in Europe.

ChocolateBabz

I will suffer through to bake a cake LOL

I know it should be in the HSA, but at the back of our minds we are always wondering whether we will be here forever or not, and I'd hate to take a tax hit by withdrawing it.

Pulaski

Yeah, but you get a tax deduction on the way in. And once you reach retirement age it magically turns into (effectively) a 401k.

Anian

Thumbs down to people who delete their messages, making threads look all weird and hard to follow.

Carlisle401

I am totally not impressed with the Health Insurance here. I retired here two years from the UK with my US wife. We pay $833 a month for Insurance and a deductable each of $5,500 per year .

On Christmas Day I had to go into hospital for a couple of days which resulted in two surgeries this year. Which meant I had to pay the deductibles for two years. yes $11,000 out of our savings.

The hospital where the second surgery took place sent a bill to the Insurance Company for $53,500 for one day in hospital. Yes $53,000 for one day. The Doctors bill came on a separate bill. The Insurance company agreed a price of $2,100!

If I did not have Insurance, I would be liable to pay $53,500. Not only that but one of the Doctors at the surgery was "Not in Network". which meant that that it was not included in my deductible and that bill was $2,945. I kicked up hell saying that I could not know who was In Network while being knocked out. They agreed to pay it.

The medical staff are really good, but the hospital administration needs to start being realistic in their billing. I am not surprised people go bankrupt here and have to sell everything to cover their medical costs.

PS I have been in hospital one day in my life in the UK. I wasn't even born in a hospital.

scrubbedexpat091

If they could find a way to combine the relative good care the hospitals and actual system provides with an affordable way for people to access it without forking over a small fortune, would be pretty good system.

The insurance system just makes no sense when it comes to healthcare.

Pulaski

The insurance system "makes no sense" because most people use it as a reimbursement system as well as an insurance system. Car insurance would be insanely expensive too if you could claim on your car insurance for an oil change, new tyres, or wiper blades.

Even high deductible health insurance covers "routine maintenance" at zero cost and the cost of an annual physical, and preventative shots have to be paid for somehow. People then expect health insurance to cover every "stone chip to the hood", every "chipped windshield", and every flat tyre. Until people recognize that from time to time they get sick, it's part of being human, and that it is not unreasonable to pay out of pocket for a basic visit to the doctor for strep throat, or a couple of stiches in a cut knee rather than claim on insurance "because it's free" then the cost of health insurance is going to remain insanely high.

sarahincos

So, right. I am American, but my mom could never afford health insurance when I was growing up so I've really never used it or been told what to look for when shopping for plans. I get the general ideas of copay and deductibles and annual costs, but I have no idea above and beyond that (hsa's and all).

My husband 's immigrating with me in October from the UK and he has Cerebral palsy (and 3 other ongoing diagnoses). He doesn't usually need much when it comes to healthcare as he's quite stable with his conditions (all except one which he will need imaging/surgery for soon). He requires a good number of dressings and pills (though his pills are mostly all on the $4 list). I'm not really sure what to look for on the marketplace. We are going to have to go with that at first because I've been living over here with him for two years and therefore will be job hunting once we get there.

Any suggestions??

Pulaski

Honestly? ..... Don't come to America, the medical costs are just too high.

sarahincos

I was going to say something else, but I won't. Thanks anyway for the help!

Pump62kin

I grew-up in America and was fortunate to have decent medical insurance because my Mom worked in healthcare admin while I was growing-up. This was back in the 1960s and 1970s. Years later, I realized how lucky my family was to have medical insurance. Most people we knew didn't have and/or couldn't afford any insurance.

When I started work at age 18, I received comprehensive medical insurance through my employers in the education sector. Everything was fine from age 18 to 24, due to the fact I was healthy and didn't sweat the various $10 co-payments for an occasional doctor's visit and any short-term meds prescribed.

Then in 1986 I had a brief gap in coverage when I changed jobs. And lo and behold, I got a major kidney infection which had me bedridden for weeks during this gap. And the doctors bills and cost of meds used up ALL of my savings. It was a nightmare!

Fast forward to 2015: I now have two ongoing medical conditions which could possibly cause me serious health insurance woes when I return to the USA.

I strongly recommend that people seek advice if they have a 'pre-existing condition', as they may find these are excluded from health insurance for the first 12 months, even though they are paying the premium for them. In other words, you'll get the coverage eventually, but you have to contribute to the scheme for up to 12 months before one's pre-existing condition(s) is covered.

Before "Obamacare", a pre-existing condition could be completely excluded -- so things have improved somewhat.