It's only tax-free if your contribution is less than the standard deduction. I don't spend $7500 on healthcare per year, so I can't even deduct it. Maybe if I buy a house I can't afford, then I'll have some deductable interest to push me over...
(If your employer handles the FSA/HSA, then it's pre-tax no matter what. I'm W2, but my employer simply doesn't offer that benefit because it costs them too much money.)
I don't want to pay for my hypochondriac neighbor's daily doctor visits, or for their kid's sniffles.
Well, that's what the co-pay is for. $20 every time you visit the doctor adds up if you visit unnecessarily -- the real cost that the doctor bills the insurance company isn't even much higher than that. Insurance companies aren't losing money on people who see the doctor every week.
(Why do I like the current system? Because the premium I pay is almost exactly matched to my monthly health maintenance cost. And I have protection in the case of disaster, or generally expensive medical procedures.)
(If your employer handles the FSA/HSA, then it's pre-tax no matter what. I'm W2, but my employer simply doesn't offer that benefit because it costs them too much money.)
I don't want to pay for my hypochondriac neighbor's daily doctor visits, or for their kid's sniffles.
Well, that's what the co-pay is for. $20 every time you visit the doctor adds up if you visit unnecessarily -- the real cost that the doctor bills the insurance company isn't even much higher than that. Insurance companies aren't losing money on people who see the doctor every week.
(Why do I like the current system? Because the premium I pay is almost exactly matched to my monthly health maintenance cost. And I have protection in the case of disaster, or generally expensive medical procedures.)