I've never seen the point of HSAs, either. The only benefit is the tax difference. There are (usually unknown, unstated upfront) plan fees that eat into that, and coupled with the higher deductibles and worse plan coverage, you're going to pay more out of pocket. It's never been clear to me if (higher OOP + plan fees) < (tax savings) is true, like they want you to believe.
An employer sponsored HSA is the single most tax advantaged account in the US, and Fidelity HSA have no fees. No FICA tax, no income tax going in, on investment returns, and coming out. Worth tens of thousands of dollars over 20, 30, 40+ years.
If your employer is shitty and doesn’t offer Fidelity HSA, you can also easily rollover the HSA funds to Fidelity every year to avoid the fees.
The coverage for HDHP plans is the same, since it’s the same insurer. The only change is deductible/copay/oop max, which is offset by lower premiums and higher cash flow for younger/healthier/higher earners shouldn’t matter.
And it's a time suck.