HSA Focalpoint

Health Savings Accounts may be a Good Option for Producers.

tristateneighbor.com, April 14, 2008
Ellen Laden, director of public relations for Golden Rule Insurance Co., says HSAs make good options a lot of the time for farmers, ranchers and small businesspeople who have to buy their own insurance. (Read More)

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Now That Your Taxes Are Done, Figure Out What You Could Save in 2008 by Using a Health Savings Account (HSA).

yahoo.com, April 28, 2008
Although the dreaded April 15 tax filing deadline has passed, you still have time to put your W2s and 1040s to good use. Information from these and other tax forms can help you take advantage of a new calculator on HSAInsights.com, which shows you what you could save by switching from a traditional health plan to a high deductible plan with a health savings account (HSA). (Read More)

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HSA Proposal Lacks Basic Common Sense.

businessinsurance.com, April 14, 2008

Industry experts peg the cost at about $3 per month per HSA account. With roughly 5 million HSAs now established, the cost-paid by employers and employees through higher charges that banks would impose-of this new requirement would come out to roughly $180 million a year. That would be six times more than the government would collect each year in new revenue.That doesn’t make sense to us and it shouldn’t to any member of Congress who takes the time to examine it. We hope this proposal dies a quick death. (Read More)

Health Care Costs Hard for Small Businesses to Absorb.

newyorkdailynews.com - April 14, 2008
Health savings accounts can offer a company a way to control costs and also get employees to take more responsibility for their own health. The use of a high-deductible plan along with a health savings account can actually be less costly to an employee than a traditional managed care plan. (Read More)

4.5 Million Enrolled in HSAs.

chiroeco..com, March 21 2008
A new census released by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) discovered that 4.5 million Americans - a 43 percent increase from last year - are covered by lower-premium, high-deductible health insurance plans offered in conjunction with health savings accounts (HSAs). (Read More)

Improvements Made to HSAs. Proposed Legislation would Increase Benefits.

AVMA.com, April 15, 2008
Proposed legislation currently before several House and Senate committees could substantially enhance the tax and coverage benefits of HSAs. (Read More)

2008 Health Care Survey Results.

producersweb.com - April 1, 2008

Benefits Selling teamed up with ChapterHouse, a leading health care strategy consulting firm, to assess the tenor of the market, and to identify innovative broker strategies that are beginning to contribute to a health care affordability solution. The purpose of this article is to share the insights gained in this research as they not only cast light on the impact of today’s strategies, but also to provide an early glimpse of future broker business models. (Read More)

Qualifying for a Health Savings Account.

kiplinger.com, March 21 2008

I am 60 and retired with sources of income from investments and pensions, but no earned income. Would I qualify for a health savings account if I took out a high-deductible policy? (Read More)

Number of Young Adults Without Health Insurance is Rising.

ahiphiwire.com, March 31, 2008

Young people are disproportionately represented among the uninsured. Even though they comprise just 17 percent of the under-65 population, young adults account for 30 percent of the nonelderly uninsured, according to the Commonwealth Fund report. (Read More)

Controlling Health Insurance Premiums with FSA, HRA, HSA Plans.

industryweek.com, March 24, 2008

Health insurance costs are rising much faster than inflation. But what can manufacturers do about it? One idea that seems to be working is giving employees “ownership” in their health plans. (Read More)

Healthcare Without Medicare
Special Report: Healthcare & Retirement.

financial-planning.com, April 1 2008

In addition to clean living and good health, Embrey’s client kept costs down by choosing a high-deductible plan. Better yet, clients can pair a high-deductible plan with a health savings account (HSA), as long as their health insurance policy meets certain requirements, such as a minimum deductible of $1,100 for an individual. (Read More)

If you are in a high-deductible health plan linked to a health savings account, you’ll have to start thinking about your insurance in a whole new way. Not only must you get your head around network rules, but you have to plan for surprises, manage your cash flow and even make investing decisions. (Read More)

Legislation Pushes Incentives for High-Deductible Plans and HSAs.

ahiphiwire.org.com - March 28, 2008

The bill would exempt insurers from paying taxes on premiums in the sale of the high-deductible savings account plans. Georgia health insurers typically pay a tax of at least 2.5 percent on premiums.
(Read More)

IRS Publication 969 Updated for 2007 Tax Filing.

irs.gov, March 2008
The IRS has released an updated version of Publication 969 (Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans) for use in reparing 2007 tax returns. This publication summarizes information
about HSAs, HRAs, health FSAs, Archer MSAs, and Medicare Advantage MSAs, including brief descriptions of benefits, eligibility equirements, contribution limits, and distribution issues. It has been updated to reflect the 2007 dollar limits for HSAs and to incorporate the many changes that the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 TRHCA) made to the HSA rules, effective for 2007 (Download)

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HSAs A Significant Improvement Over Usual Health Coverage.

insurancenewsnet.com, March 12, 2008
Health Savings Accounts allow employees the freedom to choose how and when their HSA money is spent - improving their access to care - while still providing coverage for truly catastrophic and costly events. (Read More)

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Health Insurance For Self-Employed.

cnnmoney.com, March 17, 2008
If you take a high deductible on your health insurance policy, you’ll pay lower premiums and get a smaller tax deduction. But there may be tax breaks anyway. (Read More)
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Study Finds Widening Gap in Health Cost Hikes.

businessinsurance.com - March 13, 2008
Best-performing employers are 21% more likely to use financial incentives to drive plan member behavior than their poor-performing counterparts.Best-performing employers also had higher enrollment in consumer-driven health plans than their poor-performing peers. (Read More)

When Consumers are Driving Health Care

newsobserver.com, March 6, 2008
The next time you hear someone say the market is failing health care, ask him how much his last blood test cost. His failure to tell you won’t be a memory lapse, but a symptom of our system. (Read More)

First of its Kind HSA-FSA Superstore

prweb.com, March 5, 2008

Through this online store, which is exclusively HSA and FSA eligible items, shoppers can purchase whatever they want without the worry of whether or not their purchases are covered. (Read More)

TSYS Launches the Industry’s Most Advanced Healthcare Benefits Payments System

businesswire.com, March 3, 2008

TSYS Healthcare announced the successful market launch of the industry’s most advanced benefits payments system. Fringe Benefits Management Company (FBMC), the first third-party administrator to use this innovative solution, offers its subscribers the ability to pay from multiple healthcare tax-advantaged accounts, credit accounts and cash accounts through a single card. (Read More)

Consumer-Directed Health Plans Continue to Grow as Popular Vehicle to Bring Choice, Flexibility and Access to Consumers.

TheEarthTimes.org - March 4, 2008

Enrollment in Consumer-Directed Health Plans (CDHPs) continues to grow, spurring employers to offer more health care information tools to employees in order to leverage the true value of these products, according to a study commissioned by the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO) from the consulting firm Mercer, Inc. (Read More)

Health Savings Accounts – A Leap of Faith

EMAILWIRE.COM, February 26, 2008

With a significant percentage of their patients on consumer-directed plans, providers would be forced to compete on cost and quality. But to reach that level of enrollment, we need a further price reduction on HSA-compatible plans. Insurance companies need to take a leap of faith. (Read More)

The ‘Worst’ Healthcare Payment Scheme

HealthLeaders Media, February 25, 2008

Maybe consumer-directed care will end up being the healthcare equivalent of what Winston Churchill said about democracy: the worst form of government–except for all the others that have been tried. (Read More)

Business Generated HSAs Surpass Individually-Purchased Offerings

managingyourhr.com, Feb, 2008

What is evident are trends showing that business managers are leaning towards HSAs as a way of reducing healthcare benefit cost while providing support for staff members. (Read More)

Health Savings Accounts Offer Employers and Workers a Tool for Cutting Premium Costs; Not Coverage

EVliving.com - Feb 25, 2008

Health Savings Accounts offer employers and workers a tool for cutting premium costs but not coverage, Neelman says. “At the same time, the accounts put control of health care decisions – and costs – back in the hands of workers.” (Read More)

Benefit Administrator Medcom to Offer First Horizon Health Savings Account to Employers

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Feb. 19, 2008

First Horizon Msaver, Inc. announced today that it has been selected by Medcom, a leading employee benefit administrator based in Jacksonville, FL, to serve as the Health Savings Account (HSA) administrator for Medcom’s employer customers who offer HSA-qualified health plans to their employees. (Read More)

Health Savings Account Answers

Kiplinger.Com- Feb 22, 2008

Recently passed legislation will make HSAs an even better deal in 2007. Below are the most frequently asked questions we’ve received and the answers we’ve found. (Read More)

President’s Economic Report Addresses Challenges in Health Care System

AhipHiWire.com - Feb 19, 2008

On February 11, President Bush submitted his annual economic report to Congress, reviewing his Administration’s efforts to address challenges in the health care system and others sectors of the U.S. economy.

The report’s fourth chapter, entitled “The Importance of Health and Health Care,” includes a discussion of private sector and market-based solutions for reducing the growth of health care costs, improving quality, and expanding access to health insurance. The report discusses the rationale for many of the Administration’s health care priorities, including Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), a standard tax deduction for health insurance, a national marketplace for health insurance, association health plans (AHPs) for small employers, value-based purchasing, transparency of price and quality information, and adoption of health information technology. (Read More)

Many U.S. Consumers Want Major Changes in Health Care Design, Delivery

Deloitte.com - Feb, 2008

A new survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, part of Deloitte LLP, finds that many American consumers want more from their health care system than they’re currently getting - including greater online connection to health care providers and medical records, customized insurance coverage and wider access to emerging innovations such as retail clinics. (Read More)

BearingPoint Predicts Rapid Expansion of Health Savings Accounts if Universal Health Coverage is Adopted.

BearingPoint - Feb 12, 2008

Most presidential candidates are mentioning plans that may parallel the state initiatives in California and Massachusetts, wherein the employer is required to offer coverage or pay into a pool for employees to secure such coverage. BearingPoint believes that this type of initiative would increase adoption of HDHPs (a.k.a. “low-premium” health plans) as a primary coverage vehicle, enabling more people to open accompanying save/spend/invest accounts - HSAs. (Read More)

Health Savings Accounts offer Great Tax Breaks.

Arizona Business Gazette - Feb 14, 2008

Health Savings Accounts are an excellent vehicle for taxpayers to use. Unfortunately, most people don’t have a clue how these work or why they are beneficial. (Read More)

Try Healthy Start on Saving for Old Age.

Daytona Beach news-journalonline.com - Feb 14, 2008

For the workers, the enticement is they get to keep whatever money they set aside for health expenses but don’t spend. The leftover amount can be rolled over from year to year for future health expenses. Once the worker reaches Medicare age, it can be spent on other things, with no tax penalty. (Read More)

Point to Point: The HSA Advantage.

The American Surveyor - Feb 15, 2008

Very few actions taken by a firm can generate rave reviews by employees and management alike, but HSAs are one of them. (Read More)

First Horizon Msaver President E. Craig Keohan to Speak at the CDHC Expo to be held March 3-5.

Powering the movement toward consumer-driven health care, the 2008 CDHC Expo will bring together employers, banks, account custodians, and providers to help shape the future of the industry. Msaver is a sponsor of the conference to be held March 3-5 in Las Vegas, and E. Craig Keohan, president of Msaver, will be speaking twice during the conference. (Learn More)

President Bush is Proposing Six Changes to HSAs.

President Bush is proposing six changes to make Health Savings Accounts more flexible and give individuals and employers more options in structuring coverage:

* Health plans with 50% coinsurance would qualify as a high-deductible health plan and would be HSA-eligible.

* People would have more time to set up their HSAs since funds could be used to pay for medical expenses incurred on or after the first day of HSA eligibility in a year, even if the account hasn’t actually been set up yet.

* Employers would be able to make larger HSA contributions for employees with chronic illnesses.

* Deductibles would be adjusted to make them more family-friendly.

* If both spouses are eligible as individuals for HSAs, they both could make catch-up contributions to one of their HSAs.

* Employees would be able to contribute to an HSA, even if they are covered by a Health Reimbursement Arrangement and Flexible Spending Account.

All of these proposals are responding to requests to make HSAs more attractive to employers and individuals. The administration’s Fiscal 2009 Budget outlines these proposals and rationale on pages 19-26. (Read More)

Switching Jobs? Play It Smart With Health Benefits.

TheStreet.com - Feb 2, 2008

If you have a health spending account — a flexible spending account, a health-savings account or a health-reimbursement account — with your current employer, it’s important to pay attention to the details of the plan before you change jobs. (Read More)

Website May Spark Change in Medical Economics.

StarTribune.com - Jan 27, 2008

Carol.com and the copycats it inspires could profoundly affect how Americans buy health care. (Read More)