Now, yes, but before your HSA was that full, you could be on the hook for a large deductible if something went wrong. Regardless of whether "traditional" insurance is a sensible economic model, staring that deductible in the face before your HSA can cover it is a large incentive for some people to stay with coverage that's a little more comprehensive.

This is true, but this guy is paying $1000 month in health insurance. The savings would fully cover my deductible in 5 months (assuming such a plan is available in NY). There's no question it would be worth taking the risk, especially because if I truly couldn't afford to pay the deductible and something happened, most hospitals would let me enter into a payment plan and cut the payment.