<prompt> Human: I am a healthy 28 year old female with no chronic conditions and only one generic prescription that is covered the same by both plans. I have read a lot about the pros and cons of each plan and am leaning towards the HDHP, but would like to get the advice of reddit before I make a decision. One of my concerns about the HDHP is the paperwork that can be associated with it i.e., getting bills from different departments and then forgetting about them which has happened to me before. If anyone can comment on this, please do! This is my first job out of graduate school and I really want to get everything right. Thank you reddit.HDHP: deductible: 1,300.Max: 3,000.Coinsurance after deductible: 20.Cost out of paycheck: 115.12month; 1,381.I would probably contribute 438 to the HSAStandard PPO: deductible: 1,750.Max: 4,000.Coinsurance after deductible: 10.Cost out of paycheck: 151.62month; 1,819.44year.Assistant: Generally, if youre healthy the HDHP is the way to go. If youre not healthy or risk averse, the PPO is the way to go. Human: can someone expand on this to why thats the case?Assistant: Premiums tend to be much higher on a PPO type plan than on a high deductible plan. So your fixed yearly cost is higher. If you dont use very many services, the combination of the lower premiums and the bills you do pay on the HDHP can be lower, especially if you pay your bills with tax-free money from an HSA.Now imagine a situation where you have an accidentillness and need a lot of care. The PPO doesnt have a massive deductible, and many PPO plans have a much lower maximum out of pocket limit than the HDHPs do. And dont forget that with few exceptions the HDHP doesnt pay ANYTHING until you hit the deductible. So in a worst case senereo youre typically paying less with the PPO.Its basically a gamble with yourself as to if youre going to use enough services in any year to come out better.Hope this helps, I can try provide more detail if needed...Human: Thanks! Im definitely hung up on feeling like Im gambling with my health a bit. But I have never had anything major happen to me since I was a kid. And since the deductible for the HDHP is surprisingly low, even if something did happen it probably wouldnt be too catastrophic of a hit financially.  <response>: In your specific case, the HDHP certainly looks like a better option, regardless. As a matter of fact, it looks to be such a clear-cut winner in 95 of all cases I can think of that you may want to ask someone on HR whats up with the PPO offering. Maybe its a holdover of an older plan, or maybe theres some difference in the services each offer. But with lower premiums, lower deductibles and a lower out of pocket max, combined with HSA eligibility, it seems pretty clearly better.The only thing I can think of that might tip the scales in favor of the PPO would be someone on a lot of expensive maintenance meds. I dont know about all cases, but in my experience medications are not subject to deductible on PPO plans, but are on HDHPs. So if you took a lot of meds regularly, but didnt consume any other care, maybe the PPO would be better... 