Healthcare Plan Comparison Calculator

Compare up to 4 health plans side-by-side with real after-tax cost analysis. See which plan is cheapest at your expected spending level, factoring in HSA/FSA tax savings, manufacturer drug coupons, and the marginal cost of every additional dollar of care.

Coverage Tier

Plan Details

Monthly Premium

Employee share

Deductible

Family

Coinsurance

Your share after deductible

Out-of-Pocket Max

Excludes premiums

HSA-eligible (HDHP)

Drug Coverage

Expected Annual Drug Copays

Total copays across all Rx

Drug copays count toward OOP max

Monthly Premium

Employee share

Deductible

Family

Coinsurance

Your share after deductible

Out-of-Pocket Max

Excludes premiums

HSA-eligible (HDHP)

Drug Coverage

Monthly Premium

Employee share

Deductible

Family

Coinsurance

Your share after deductible

Out-of-Pocket Max

Excludes premiums

HSA-eligible (HDHP)

Drug Coverage

Expected Annual Spending

Medical Services

Doctors, labs, procedures

Prescription Drugs (Gross)

Full price before coupons

Manufacturer Coupon Offset

Reduces OOP pre-deductible

Drug spend and coupon offset apply to plans where drugs go through the deductible. For flat-copay plans, enter expected copays in the plan details above.

Tax Rates & Benefits

Federal Marginal Rate

State Marginal Rate

0% in no-income-tax states

Medicare Rate

Social Security Rate

HSA Contribution (for HSA-eligible plans)

Your Annual HSA Contribution

2026 limit: $8,550 (family)

Employer HSA Contribution

Free money — doesn't affect your tax savings

FSA (for non-HSA plans)

Use FSA if non-HSA plan is chosen

FSA Contribution

2026 limit: $3,300 — use it or lose it

Best plan for your expected spending (after taxes)

High Deductible PPO

$4,098 total effective annual cost

Saves you

$3,381

vs. worst option

Plan Comparison

	Low Deductible PPO	High Deductible PPO	HDHP with HSA
Annual Premium	$9,816	$2,412	$2,412
Out-of-Pocket Medical	$1,960	$3,770	$6,180
Total (Before Tax Benefits)	$11,776	$6,182	$8,592
Tax Benefits (Section 125 + HSA/FSA)	−$4,297	−$2,084	−$4,000
Total Effective Cost	$7,479	$4,098best	$4,592

Total Effective Cost by Medical Spending

After-tax total cost (premium + out-of-pocket − HSA/FSA tax savings) at every spending level. The vertical line shows your expected spending.

Low Deductible PPOHigh Deductible PPOHDHP with HSA

Marginal Cost of Next Dollar Spent

How much does the next dollar of medical spending actually cost you after taxes? Shows where each plan's deductible, coinsurance, and OOP max kick in. Lower is better.

Low Deductible PPOHigh Deductible PPOHDHP with HSA

Assumptions & Caveats

HSA plans: Assumes you max out your HSA contribution and receive the full tax benefit upfront (federal + state + FICA). This is correct because unused HSA funds roll over and grow tax-free — there is no penalty for “oversaving.”
FSA plans: Assumes the first $3,300 of out-of-pocket medical spending is paid pre-tax through the FSA. This is generous to FSA plans because it ignores the risk of over-funding (use-it-or-lose-it). Unlike HSAs, unused FSA funds are forfeited.
Manufacturer coupons: Coupon offsets reduce your out-of-pocket drug costs in the deductible phase. The coupon amount still counts toward filling the deductible (i.e., no copay accumulator). Coupons do not apply in the coinsurance phase.
Premiums: Employee-share premiums are assumed to be pre-tax (Section 125 cafeteria plan), so we do not apply additional tax adjustments to premiums.
Network differences: This tool compares financial cost only. It does not account for provider network breadth, referral requirements, or quality differences between plans.

How to Pick the Best Health Plan

Most plan comparison tools only look at premiums and out-of-pocket maximums. That misses the biggest variable: tax savings. An HDHP with an HSA can save you 30%+ on every dollar you contribute — across federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. This calculator captures that.

Understanding the Deductible Waterfall

When you receive care, your costs flow through three phases: (1) the deductible, where you pay 100% of costs; (2)coinsurance, where you and the plan split costs (e.g., you pay 20%); and (3) the out-of-pocket maximum, after which the plan pays 100%. Higher-deductible plans have lower premiums but more exposure in the deductible phase.

The HSA Triple Tax Advantage

An HSA (available only with qualifying HDHPs) offers three tax benefits: (1) contributions are tax-deductible; (2) if contributed through employer payroll, they avoid FICA taxes (7.65%); and (3) growth and withdrawals for medical expenses are tax-free. Even if you don't spend the HSA money now, it rolls over forever and can be used as a retirement account after age 65.

Manufacturer Drug Coupons

For plans where prescriptions go through the deductible (common with HDHPs), manufacturer coupons reduce your out-of-pocket drug costs while still counting toward your deductible. This means coupons effectively “fill up” your deductible faster, getting you to the coinsurance phase sooner. On plans with flat drug copays, coupons are typically unnecessary since your copay is fixed regardless of the drug's list price.

Reading the Marginal Cost Chart

The marginal cost chart is the most powerful view. It shows how much each additional dollar of medical spending costs you after taxes. Look for the “steps”: a plan at $1.00 means you're in the deductible phase (paying full price). A drop to $0.20 means you've hit coinsurance (plan pays 80%). A drop to $0.00 means you've hit the OOP max (plan pays 100%). Plans with FSA further reduce the marginal cost by making your spending pre-tax.

When Is the HDHP/HSA Actually Better?

HDHPs with HSAs tend to win when: (1) you're in a high tax bracket (more tax savings per dollar contributed); (2) your expected medical spending is low (you stay in the deductible phase, but the HSA tax savings more than offset it); or (3) your spending is very high (you hit the OOP max regardless, so the lower premium wins). The “danger zone” for HDHPs is moderate spending — enough to hurt in the deductible phase but not enough to hit the OOP max.