Depending where in NC you are, you may find that BCBSNC is the only game in town. If you are close to a UNC-affiliate hospital, United Healthcare (UMR) is probably an option as well, as that is what the UNC affiliates use for their own employees. Mind you, I believe the employee co-pays and co-insurance for using UNC and UNC-affiliate providers are heavily subsidized. My wife works for a UNC affiliate and we have had to change some providers because they were not a UNC provider and we simply could no longer afford them.
Health insurance costs big money, whichever way you look at it. Either you pay the big premiums and get good coverage or you pay a smaller premium and take on risk. My wife and I went onto a HSA-compliant plan a few years ago, because that is what her employer was encouraging all employees to do. They gave pretty good incentives to do so. Then the cost difference narrowed and we moved back to the high-premium plan. It still doesn't cover as much as it did, but overall we are happy that we did so. Like your wife, we expect to make good use of our plan in the next few years.
My biggest gripe is that they strictly control which medications get the lower co-pays. I think all insurance companies have moved that way. My wife has to go through regular re-appraisals to continue getting meds paid for (in part) by the insurance company. For one med, the insurance will only cover a certain number of doses per month, even though the doctor has written a prescription for a higher number. We pay for the rest out of pocket. So, if medications are part of your life, or you think they will be in the future, you need to get a copy of the formulary from the insurance company before you sign up. Prescriptions (and OTC that used to be prescription) are our biggest medical expense for which we are responsible.
