I have an HDHP with HSA through my employer. It is one of two options offered to us, with the other being a PPO with FSA. The premiums are much lower with the HDHP and my company contributes $1,000 toward the $4,000 deductible. There is no contribution for the PPO plan, which has a $1,500 deductible. When I ran the numbers (factoring in the premiums plus the minimum I would need to contribute to the HSA/FSA to meet the respective deductibles), the HDHP was a no-brainer for us. I'm pretty sure the numbers still would have come out ahead for the HDHP even without the employer contribution.
The downside of an HDHP is that you pay full price for doctor visits, prescriptions, etc. until the deductible is met. However, the upside is that once your deductible has been met, you don't pay for anything (not even co-pays). We met our deductible halfway through the year. My wife has since had gallbladder surgery and a broken wrist plus various prescriptions for her and our kids, and we haven't had to pay a dime for any of that.
One of the main benefits of having an HSA is that there is no "use or lose" aspect like there is with an FSA. Also, if you are funding the account through payroll deductions, dollars going to your HSA aren't taxed and you're not locked into the amount you selected during open enrollment with an HSA like you are with an FSA.
The words "high deductible" can seem kind of scary, but there are definitely benefits to going that route. The important thing is to run the numbers for your various insurance options and figure in your anticipated medical expenses and see if that clears things up. Of course, one emergency can throw a wrench into all that planning, but it's the best you can do.
