Compare modeled HDHP + HSA and PPO + Health FSA costs, including tax effects, out-of-pocket costs, dependent care inputs, and paycheck impact.
Taxes & Payroll
Household Usage
Allowed Costs (HDHP Pricing)
HDHP + HSA Settings
2026 combined employer + employee HSA limit: $4,400. An eligible self-only HDHP must have at least a $1,700 deductible and no more than a $8,500 in-network OOP maximum.
PPO + Health FSA Settings
Dependent Care (optional)
Leave at $0 if you have no eligible childcare or elder-care costs. Savings entered here apply equally to both plans.
Modeled DCFSA amount after eligible-expense, earned-income, filing-status, and statutory limits: $0. DCFSA benefits reduce both remaining eligible expenses and the CDCC dollar cap. The model excludes the CDCC for married filing separately; review the considered-unmarried exception with a tax professional if it may apply.
HDHP + HSA — Breakdown
PPO + Health FSA — Breakdown
Verdict
Based on your numbers, HDHP + HSA looks better. It saves about $1,095 compared with the other plan.
Key reasons:
- Lower after-tax net by $1,095.
- Employer HSA adds $1,000 to offset OOP tax-free.
- HSA contributions save about $733 in taxes.
Remember: these are estimates based on the usage and tax info you entered. Real life can vary.
Glossary — Plain-English Definitions
- HDHP
- High-Deductible Health Plan; usually lower premiums, higher deductible; HSA-eligible.
- HSA
- Health Savings Account; pre-tax contributions, tax-free growth, tax-free medical spending.
- PPO
- Preferred Provider Organization; copays for many services, broader network, higher premiums.
- FSA
- Health Flexible Spending Account; pre-tax dollars for medical; use-it-or-lose-it rules apply.
- DCFSA
- Dependent Care FSA; pre-tax dollars for childcare/elder care. 2026 limit: $7,500 ($3,750 married filing separately).
- CDCC
- Child & Dependent Care Credit; 20%-50% of eligible care costs (rate depends on income) up to $3,000 for one dependent or $6,000 for two or more.
- Deductible
- Amount you pay before plan starts sharing costs.
- Coinsurance
- Percentage of allowed cost you pay after meeting the deductible.
- Copay
- Fixed dollar amount for a specific service (e.g., PCP visit).
- Allowed amount
- Price the insurer recognizes for a service; basis for deductible/coinsurance.
- OOP max
- Out-of-Pocket maximum; most you'll pay for covered, in-network care in a year.
- Pre-tax premium
- Premium taken before taxes under Section 125; lowers taxable wages.
- FICA
- Payroll taxes (Social Security + Medicare) usually avoided by pre-tax deductions.
- Marginal tax rate
- Tax rate that applies to your next dollar of income.
- Cash-Flow this year
- How choices affect take-home pay this year, including pre-tax savings and reimbursements.
- After-Tax Net cost
- Overall economic cost after taxes, credits, and employer contributions.
- Rx tiers
- Generic / brand-preferred / brand-non-preferred; tiers change copays and prices.
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