Health plan comparisons
While all our plans offer comprehensive coverage, some details—including the way you pay for services—can vary between them. Here’s an overview to help you see which plan fits your life best based on a few key features.
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- Plan Comparison
- Detailed plan comparison
- Covering Dependents?
- National plan features
Health plan | Surest | Health Savings Plan (HSP) | Health Connect Plan (HCP)* | Kaiser HMO** |
$0 Premium / Payroll Deduction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
National Provider Network | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ (via Extended Network) | X |
Deductible | X | ✓ | X | X |
Coinsurance | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Copay | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Prescription Coverage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
HSA Eligible | X | ✓ | X | X |
General Purpose FSA Eligible | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Limited Purpose FSA Eligible | N/A | ✓ | N/A | N/A |
*The Health Connect Plan is only available to employees in the Puget Sound area (King & Snohomish counties).
**Kaiser HMO Plans are only available to employees in Washington & California
Health plan | ||||
Availability | Nationwide | Nationwide | King and Snohomish County, WA state | Washington and California |
Deductible | $0 | $1,750-$4,375 based on coverage tier | $0 | $0 |
Out-of-Pocket Maximums Embedded/Aggregate | $2,750-$6,875 based on coverage tier Embedded | $2,750–$6,875 based on coverage tier Aggregate | $2,000–$6,000 based on coverage tier Embedded | $1,500–$4,500 based on coverage tier Embedded |
Copays | Yes. Copays are viewable before a medical visit on Surest member site. Costs related to a single health care event (doctor visit, maternity care, knee replacement surgery, etc.) are bundled into a single copay. No coinsurance. | No. Meet your deductible, then coinsurance applies, up to your out-of-pocket maximum. | Yes, for basic services such as office visits. For in-network services not covered by copays, pay coinsurance up to the out-of-pocket maximum. | Yes, for most outpatient services |
Provider Network | United Healthcare Choice Plus Network CA Residents: United Healthcare Select Plus Network | Premera Blue Cross Nationwide Network | Health Connect Network (Eastside) and Premera Blue Cross Extended Network | Kaiser Network |
Out-of-Network Coverage | Choose any provider you like. Pay less when you use a provider in the United Healthcare network. | Choose any provider you like. Pay less when you use a provider in the Premera Blue Cross network. | Choose any provider you like. Pay less when you use a provider in the Health Connect or Premera Extended network. | Limited coverage for emergencies only. |
Highlights | Shop for the lowest copays among high-quality providers and locations. Gain visibility into actual health care costs. Lower copays indicate higher-quality care. Accurately budget for health costs. | Have flexibility in choice of providers. Gain tax and savings advantages via a Health Savings Account (HSA). Microsoft contributes to the HSA up to set limits1 | Get personalized care coordinated by a primary care provider. | Coordinated care through one health system. Make out-of-pocket expenses more predictable. Navigate your care simply. |
Pharmacy Provider & Copays | Optum Rx $10 Generic (90-day supply) | Express Scripts (ESI) 10% after deductible | Express Scripts (ESI) | Kaiser 30-day supply: |
Note: These plans are not available in Hawaii. See the Hawaii Only Plan for those details.
1Microsoft contributes between $1,000 and $2,500 tax-free to HSAs. For corporate employees in levels 30–39 and levels 50–58, this HSA funding ranges from $1,750 to $4,375. See the Health Savings Account page for more information.
When you’re covering family members, how costs accumulate toward your out-of-pocket maximum depends on whether your plan has an embedded or aggregate out-of-pocket maximum.
Aggregate OOP maximum
The Health Savings Plan (HSP) has an aggregate out-of-pocket (OOP) maximum, which is the total amount a family must pay for covered healthcare services in a plan year before the Plan covers 100% of the costs. This limit includes deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. Once the combined expenses of all family members reach this maximum, the health plan pays for all covered services for the rest of the calendar year.
Let’s look at an example:
Joe enrolls himself and his family in the Health Savings Plan. They have a $6,875 OOP maximum. Throughout the year, Joe’s family has multiple services:
- Family member 1 hospital stay = $3,000
- Family member 2 outpatient surgery = $1,500
- Family member 3 prescription costs = $2,000
- Family member 4 specialist visits = $375
They spent $6,875 collectively and reached their OOP maximum, so after this point, their health plan would start paying at 100%.
Embedded OOP maximum
All our other medical plans (Surest, Health Connect Plan, Kaiser HMO plans, and Hawaii-Only plan) have an embedded out-of-pocket (OOP) maximum, which limits the amount each person within a family must pay. Each family member has their own individual (or embedded) out-of-pocket maximum, which is part of the overall family out-of-pocket maximum. Once a person reaches their limit, the health plan pays 100% of the rest of their covered expenses for the remainder of the calendar year, even if the whole family hasn’t reached the family maximum.
Let’s look at an example:
Jane enrolls herself and her family in the Surest Health Plan. They have a $6,875 OOP family max with the individual OOP max of $2,750. Throughout the year, Jane’s family has multiple services:
- Family member 1 hospital stay = $3,000
- Family member 2 outpatient surgery = $1,500
- Family member 4 specialist visits = $375
Family member 1 has reached their OOP limit of $2,750, so Surest covers 100% of their eligible medical expenses for the remainder of the calendar year. Family members 2 & 3 have not yet hit their OOP limit of $2,750, so they’ll continue to pay until they each hit their individual OOP max limit of $2,750 OR the overall family OOP max has been met at $6,875.
Both of our national plans (Surest and the Health Savings Plan) offer great programs for you to take advantage of. Here’s a quick overview:
Program(s) | Surest Vendor | Premera HSP Vendor | |
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Participants have access to a free program to help prevent and manage diabetes. | Virta | Teladoc Health (formerly Livongo) | |
Fertility Progyny fertility benefits provide two Smart Cycles per household per Plan enrollment lifetime, and one additional Smart Cycle if neither of the first two results in a successful pregnancy. | |||
Family Planning & Support Free virtual care and on-demand support for navigating family planning, parenting, perimenopause, and menopause. | |||
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Access to a dedicated team of cancer experts, help you understand your diagnosis, and evidence-based resources for supporting you during treatment. | My Cancer Journey | ||
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Free access to obtain expert second opinions for many medical conditions, discuss diagnoses, upcoming procedures and more. | 2nd MD | Teladoc Health | |
Virtual Care Talk to a health care provider, including doctors, therapists, and psychologists – anytime, anywhere Consult by video, phone, or email | Urgent & Acute | Multiple vendors | Teladoc Health |
Mental Health | Multiple vendors | Teladoc Health | |
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Outpatient services for short-term counseling (EAP) - 24 sessions per calendar year | Spring Health | ||
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Allows you to search for high-quality and cost-effective providers and make informed healthcare decisions | Embold Health | Embold Health | |
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On-campus health care center designed to help employees achieve their best health by providing an integrated approach to health and wellness | Living Well Health Center Available to employees and dependents (over the age of 13) who are enrolled in a Microsoft provided health plan (Premera, Surest, & Kaiser) Redmond WA | ||
Onsite Pharmacy On-campus full-service pharmacy and over-the-counter medications | Onsite Rx Available to employees and dependents who are enrolled in a Microsoft provided health plan (Premera, Surest, & Kaiser) Redmond WA | ||