My plan WAS to contribute the max per year to my HSA(currently I think its 3100 a year) for the next 10 years and invest that in dividend growth stocks. By my calculations with a modest 4% return I should be around 40k in 10 years. 40k should easily give off 1500 per year in dividends, which I was hoping would cover my health costs without touching the principle.
Note this was before obamacare, soon I might not be able to keep my hdhp+hsa.
This is also my plan (although I've had my HSA for a while).
One benefit you're missing is that the HSA contributions are tax-deductible regardless of your income, AND the earnings are tax-free (if withdrawn for healthcare expenses). It's a savings vehicle like no other!
And remember that a family plan has a higher HSA contribution than an individual (individual is $3,100, a family HDHP is like $5,000+). If you are putting in $5,000 into the HSA for your family plan, you are reducing your taxable income by $5k. So what's your combined Federal/State/City tax rate? Maybe 30%? If so, your taxes are reduced by $1,500, so reduce your health insurance policy costs by that amount.
And do that calculation again when calculating withdrawals from the HSA - in your example, that $1,500 in annual dividends pulled out of the HSA for healthcare is tax free, so it's actually equal to earning perhaps $2,000 in dividends before they are hit by taxes.
I realize that Missouri is currently one of the lower cost states for health insurance, but my annual $3,100 HSA contribution is worth about $1,000 in income tax savings - and my annual HDHP premiums for a $5,100 deductible policy only total $600....so I'm actually getting paid by the gov't to take the HDHP and gamble that I don't need healthcare. Yes, I'm taking a risk, but I tend to take care of myself and am healthy, so it's more than paid off so far.
Regarding your particular example, is there a reason that you didn't try someplace like a Take Care Clinic at Walgreen's, where they might charge $65/person? The Nurse Practitioner there could likely have subscribed them something...although, the best course is that unless they are experiencing extreme symptoms, give them 8 days to get over it without drugs. Your body does have a natural immune response to various virus floating around out there, but it takes 7-10 days to heal itself. And many times it can do it on its own without any help from a pill - it just takes time, rest, and a proper diet.