I used an ACA Bronze HDHP/HSA plan the last year I was working. The insurance worked well, which was par for all my previous experiences with Blue Cross Blue Shield. I always maxed my HSA contributions, though because I'm pretty young, I don't use any of that money for current medical expenses. It's invested and will help pay our medical costs in old age.
I very much dislike the psychology behind HDHPs, and I can personally attest to avoiding going to the doctor when I otherwise should have because I knew it was going to cost me a healthy amount of money. Hell, a simply primary care visit for a cold or something cost $150. An MRI was $500. In situations where I wasn't certain I was seriously injured, I would often wait to see someone, wanting to be more confident that it wouldn't go away and I would waste money for no reason. Sadly, we know this leads to people ending up in poorer health than if they'd had non-HDHP insurance because they end up waiting longer than they should, or don't seek medical attention at all.
I suppose I could have been thinking about like like, "Hey, I've already saved money because my insurance premiums aren't as high so I shouldn't have a problem spending this money," but I think because I'm naturally frugal I still struggled with that. Perhaps I should have taken all the money I was saving in premiums and put it aside as a "bucket" of money to spend on healthcare, and made it clear in my mind that that money was there to be spent if it needed to be, but I'm not sure that would have helped.
Overall, the insurance worked fine, but it's definitely my last resort resort in the future because of the psychological factor. Unless I was really hurting for cash I think I'd rather spend the money and have the peace of mind that when I should see a doctor, I'm not going to try and talk myself out of it.
