A physician of mine has said that he thinks HDHPs are predatory and (in his opinion) should be illegal. They sound attractive until the moment you actually need to get medical care.
HDHPs are awesome if the deductible and OOP max is low-ish (less than $2000/$4000) AND you either don't see doctors very often or you see them all of the time AND your employer contributes. That is the only combination with which I'd ever recommend a HDHP. Just about everyone is better off with a PPO.
I had a HDHP for a few years. $1500 deductible/$2500 OOP max; employer contributed $750/year. I loved the concept and contributed myself, but basically any doctors appointment I'd have would wipe out my contributions. I saw many doctors in 2021 due to random stomach issues that were ultimately GERD. I landed up paying out of pocket before hitting the deductible. I now have a PPO.
The issue is that they are often the cheapest plan to get (because of the HD part) and many HDHPs have crazy high deductibles and astronomical OOP maxes (with out of network deductibles and OOP maxes that are of this solar system), so that + people (understandably) not understanding medical insurance = a very bad time
I like my HDHP. It's honestly not that much different than the other plans my employer offers. They all have large deductibles in my opinion. It's great because my premiums are lower and I contribute to an HSA. The deductible is only about $2k higher than the other plans. And yes, I have used it. I've hit my maximum out of pocket cap multiple years with it. I would have hit that cap under the other plans as well.
Now, that might change as I get older and I need care for chronic conditions that wouldn't hit the out of pocket max but would be above the deductible. And they aren't right for everyone - you need to be making enough to max out your HSA. Companies pushing low wage earners into them are probably predatory.
