Cindy was a healthy 53-year-old grandmother who worked as a business officer for an independent private school in Maine. As part of the decision-making team that chose to switch the school’s insurance plan from a traditional HMO product to a CDHP, she was a well-informed user of her CDHP.

In 2006, Cindy began suffering from severe migraines. After consulting her preferred provider organization (PPO), she found a physician in her area and booked an appointment. The physician wasn’t overly concerned with Cindy’s headaches and repeatedly advised her to “wait and see.” After a year of waiting and seeing, Cindy’s headaches weren’t getting any better. Still in pain and unwilling to accept her physician’s lack of response, Cindy put her CDHP to use.

The product design uses a PPO, which gives Cindy access to an extensive list of healthcare providers, both in and outside of Maine. After doing some research, Cindy booked an appointment with a nationally recognized expert in Boston, Massachusetts. She was soon diagnosed with a potentially fatal brain aneurism, and, within 2 weeks, was undergoing life-saving surgery at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Had Cindy continued to assume the passive approach of her first physician, it’s likely that her condition would have become fatal. As a CDHP member, however, she had access to specialists outside of her home state, allowing her access to the treatment she needed.

Cindy’s total medical expenses exceeded $100,000. Her deductible was $3,000 and her employer covered 50 percent of it through the healthcare account, exposing Cindy to a maximum out-of-pocket of $1,500. After she paid that amount, the remaining cost was fully covered by her CDHP. Not only did her CDHP give Cindy the peace of mind that came from knowing that her financial obligation was completely manageable, it also saved her life.