This is the new High deductible ins. + HSA plan that is being pushed by the current administration as the answer to escalating health care costs. The idea is to motivate the individual to take more ownership and responsibility for their own healthcare. Our company is offering it also and it's quite a bit cheaper than traditional coverage, but none of the people here seem interested.
Here are some of the differences as I understand them, from standard insurance.
1. The $2500 family deductible must be meet for the entire family before anyone gets benifets, and the deductible also applies to perscriptions(copays only kick in after the deductible is met)
2. The employer contribution to the HSA is a one time event to promote this new plan, in future years the employer will not make contributions to your account.
3. Unlike current flexible medical spending accounts (cafeteria plans), the remaining balance rolls forward each year. No "use it or lose it" like flex spending accounts.
4. If you choose an HSA account and a medical flex spending account, the flex account is limited to Vision and Dental spending, all medical bills must be paid from the HSA.
For someone like me this new type plan sucks. My family (crosses fingers) has very few medical problems and will normally never hit the $2500 deductible, but my wife and I do have several maintenance type perscriptions that we now pay a small copay for that wouldn't be covered under this plan until the deductible was met, which would be like Dec

. So any savings I would get from the lower premiums would be wiped out by the increased out of pocket for perscriptions.
This plan may be attractive to younger single people with no routine perscriptions and very low medical costs, because it does provide coverage for major accident or illness that exceeds $2500 while providing a substancial break on the annual premiums