Early Americans wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights because they needed to set up a new government and wanted to be sure it could not abuse their rights. Early American's at this time had just finished a huge war to get out from under one hierarchy. They thought that a democracy would best fit what they had fought for, freedom.
I'd perfer lower premium a d a lower deductible. Having to pay more upfront is more manageable and is easier to plan for in the future. when setting up my budget I can put the lower premium in and plan around it but if it was higher then that would be harder to do.
There are several important things to do before coming to a collaborative discussion, but one of the most important is listening to everyone and exploring all options.