[orthodoc]

It depends on everyone's state of health ... if no one on the plan has any ongoing prescriptions or conditions that will require care, and if you can consistently put the extra $130/week into the account all year, it sounds like a good route to go. You would be growing the account and able to take care of small costs if they arose before the whole amount was saved. Only if there was a major injury or illness requiring hospitalization and/or surgery would you need the entire amounts.

Hospitals tend to be slow with billing. I'm still getting bills for things that were done last July. So you wouldn't necessarily have to part with the full deductible or out of pocket right away. Hospitals are also very good about setting up payment plans that would allow you to pay as you saved, so to speak, if something happened before the 46 weeks it took to collect the full $6000.

Are there co-pays aside from the deductible, and would they be affordable if necessary? Or would they eat into the $130 weekly? After the deductible and out of pocket requirements are met, is everything covered at 100% for the rest of the year?

The benefit of having the $6760 put away if all goes well, and the possibility of making payments that would fit your savings rate if things don't, make it seem like a good alternative to me. As long as there aren't other details that would make it problematic, that is.