HSA Focalpoint

Trautwein: Protect Group Plans.

lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com, April 23, 2009
The leader of the National Association of Health Underwriters is urging members of Congress to keep health reform efforts from undermining existing group health plans.
(Read More)

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Baucus: Don’t Touch That Button.

lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com April 24,  2009
The Senate Finance Committee may hold back on discussing efforts to create a new public health insurance program for working-age U.S. residents who are not poor, Sen. Max Baucus said Friday.
(Read More)

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Biggest Medical Mystery: The bill.
money.cnn.com, April 22, 2009
With more consumers paying out-of-pocket for their health care needs, experts say physicians, hospitals and insurers have to provide easier access to prices. (Read More)

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Recession Hits Retirement, Health Contributions.

businessinsurance.com, April 21, 2009
Approximately 26% of employers said they plan to increase employee contributions to health care premiums, up from 24% in February. Meanwhile, 29% of employers said they have already made such changes and do not anticipate future increases in employee contributions, up from 22% in February. (Read More)

Employees Step Up Use Of Health Benefits.

lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com, April 17, 2009
The recession is forcing employers to increase cost-sharing approaches as plan participants increase their use of the benefits out of fear they might lose them, a new survey finds.
(Read More)

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Recession Changing Benefits Design, Usage: Survey.

businessinsurance.com, April 17,  2009
“The financial crisis has led some to conclude that health care and the economy are inextricably linked. You can’t separate one from the other,” said Sally Natchek, senior director of research of the IFEPB, in a statement. (Read More)

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What Happens to Your HSA if You’re Laid Off.

kiplinger.com, April 16, 2009
There’s good news for people with health savings accounts: Unlike funds in your flexible spending account, the money in your HSA remains yours even after you lose or leave your job. So you don’t need to rush to the eye doctor or dentist to drain the account before your job is terminated. (Read More)

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Insurers and Agents Oppose a Tax on Health Benefits, but Experts Disagree on How It Would Impact Employer-Based Coverage.

aishealth.com, April 17, 2009
Health insurers, brokers and agents are resisting a proposed tax on the value of health benefits received by employees in order to finance a comprehensive health reform package. The industry contends that such a tax would greatly undermine the employer-based health insurance system. (Read More)

Adoption of Consumer-Driven Health Plans Accelerated by Recession.

prnewswire.com, April 13, 2009
HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that more employers are opting for consumer-driven health plans (CDHP) as they look for ways to reduce costs. (Read More)

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Staying Covered After a Layoff.

washingtonpost.com, April 13,  2009
You can lower the cost of individual health insurance by increasing your deductible. And if your deductible is at least $1,150 for individual coverage or $2,300 for a family plan in 2009, you may qualify for a health savings account — and contribute tax-deductible money that you may use tax-free for medical expenses in any year.  (Read More)

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Health Future Seen in Savings Accounts.

denverpost.com April 8, 2009
Health savings accounts are the fastest-growing trend in health care, said Andrew Sykes, chairman of Health at Work, a Chicago company hired by Douglas County to coordinate the possible conversion. The accounts have a triple tax benefit - the money goes in pre-tax, grows without tax and can be taken out without tax penalty to spend on health care.  (Read More)

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Dealing with Medical Costs in Retirement.

modestobee.com, April 6, 2009
A 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need about $240,000 to cover medical expenses in retirement even with Medicare insurance coverage, according to Fidelity Investments’ latest health care cost estimate released in March. That’s a 6.7 percent increase over the 2008 estimate of $225,000. Just seven years ago it was $160,000. (Read More)

CAHI Releases HSA Commentary.

lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com, April 3, 2009
A Council for Affordable Health Insurance author is rejecting the argument that health savings account programs discourage use of preventive care.

Roy Ramthun, a visiting fellow at CAHI, Alexandria, Va., a group that supports the HSA concept, has written a paper supporting the proposition that HSA plan members are more likely than other health plan members to use preventive services. (Read More)

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Build a Health Savings Fund that Takes Care of You Today and Invests Your Money for Tomorrow.

equitybulls.com, April 3,  2009
The health fund will help you claim for future medical expenses of any kind. While the hospitalization insurance benefit will take care of any hospitalization expenses. Typically, health savings fund is an ideal vehicle for funding small ticket, discretionary and high frequency needs, such as those for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. (Read More)

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Many Buy High Deductible Health Plans.

upi.com, April 3, 2009
Persons with directly purchased private health insurance were more likely to be enrolled in a high deductible plan than those who obtained their private health insurance through an employer or union.

National attention to consumer-directed healthcare has increased following the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which established tax-advantaged health savings accounts. (Read More)

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Consumer-Driven Health Plans Gain Steam.

ahiphiwire.org, April 3, 2009
The employers who are most successful at containing health-care costs are doing it without raising workers’ premiums.

Instead, they’re using cash incentives to entice employees toward consumer-driven health plans, such as medical savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements, said Ted Nussbaum, director of Group and Health Care Consulting North America for Watson Wyatt Worldwide. (NYSE:WW) (Read More)