HSA Focalpoint

Important Agent’s-only Phone Number.

Don’t forget that First Horizon Msaver maintains a toll-free line just for brokers and agents. Use this line to get answers to your HSA questions, or to enroll a group.

877-949-6727

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First Horizon Msaver Named 2009 Model Healthcare Bank by Celent.
cnnmoney.com,  July 9,  2009
First Horizon Msaver has received the 2009 Model Bank Award in Healthcare Banking from Celent, a Boston-based financial research and consulting firm.
(Read More)

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Americans Increasingly Embrace Self-Service.
insurancenetworking.com, July 1, 2009
The census found since January of last year, approximately 1.9 million Americans opted for a HSA, bringing the total to some 8 million Americans. Interestingly, while “self-directed” plans are thought to appeal primarily to younger, technologically savvy participants, the study found that greatest percentage of enrollees were between the ages of 50 and 59. (Read More)

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 HSA Assets Grew More than 62% Last Year, Celent Study Shows.
investmentnews.com, June 29, 2009
Despite the downturn in the economy, the number of health savings accounts and assets held in the plans continue to grow, a new study released today showed. (Read More)

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the 2010 inflation adjusted amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs) in Revenue Procedure 2009-29.

Annual contribution limitation. For calendar year 2010, the annual limitation on deductions under a high deductible health plan is $3,050 for an individual with self-only coverage, and $6,150 for an individual with family coverage.

High deductible health plan. For calendar year 2010, a “high deductible health plan” is defined under § 223(c)(2)(A) as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,200 for self-only coverage or $2,400 for family coverage, and the annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) do not exceed $5,950 for self-only coverage or $11,900 for family coverage

This revenue procedure is effective for calendar year 2010.

Choosing Insurance for College Kids.
pressdemocrat.com, May 10, 2009
There is at least one situation in which a high-deductible plan may be a good option for a student: if the family is already covered under a high-deductible policy that is linked to a tax-advantaged health savings account to pay out-of-pocket health expenses.
(Read More)

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Study: Health Insurance Too Expensive for Many.
healthplans.hcpro.com,  May 11,  2009
The study, Wealth, Income, and The Affordability of Health Insurance, published in the May/June 2009 issue of Health Affairs, shows that measuring families’ median net worth-the value of their savings, plus other assets, minus debt, rather than just income-provides more precise estimates of the percentage who could purchase policies if they chose to do so.
(Read More)

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Taxing Those With Insurance to Pay for Those Without.
ahiphiwire.org, May 8, 2009
It is an alluring way to pay for the ambitious plan to expand health coverage to the nearly 50 million people who are now uninsured. Simply put, the government would tax the people who already have the most expensive health benefits, as provided by their employers. (Read More)

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Healthcare Reforms May Spur Insurer M&A.
businessinsurance.com, May 8, 2009
Shares of small and regional U.S. health insurers may rise in the coming months as they are increasingly viewed as takeover targets, even as the wild card of health care reform restrains any near-term consolidation. (Read More)

Survey: Employers Plan to Reduce Health Benefit Cost Significantly in 2010.

talentmgt.com, May 1, 2009
More than a fifth of all respondents plan to adopt a consumer-directed health plan (CDHP). These are high-deductible plans with an associated employee-controlled account, either a health savings account or a health reimbursement arrangement.
(Read More)

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Four Ways to Save Health Care Dollars.

bizlex..com, April 30,  2009
Despite these challenges, employers and employees can still take measures to control their health care costs. Here are four ways to do this.
(Read More)

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Consumerism Doesn’t Simply Mean Shifting Costs to Members.

healthplans.hcpro.com, April 29, 2009
“What we were able to find is that we were able to sustain control of costs over time without sacrificing care,” says Kathy Campbell, director of consumer-directed health plans for Aetna in Hartford, CT. (Read More)

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Making Health-Care Reform Pay for Itself.

time.com, April 24, 2009
Under the budget rules, any reform scheme will have to pay for itself within six years. (Read More)

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)

Health Savings Accounts Thrive in Downturn.

investmentnews.com, March 25, 2009
Study shows individual HSA balances increased 33%, and family HSA balances increased about 12% between the first quarter and fourth quarters of 2008. (Read More)

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Fidelity Updates Retiree Health Forecast.

lifeandhealthinsurancenews.com, March 26,  2009
A 65-year-old couple retiring in 2008 may need about $240,000 to cover medical costs in retirement. Consultants at Fidelity Investments, Boston, have published that estimate in Fidelity’s latest post-retirement health cost forecast. (Read More)

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Retention Edges Cost Reduction as Benefits Objective.

workforce.com, March 24, 2009
The cratering economy has caused 46 percent of employees interviewed to take a greater interest in understanding their benefits. In addition, 51 percent report that they obtain most of their financial products through their employer.  (Read More)

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Half the Employers Offer Consumer Directed Health Care Plan.

john-goodman-blog.com, March 24, 2009
Just more than half (51 percent) of companies now offer workers a CDHP, up from 47 percent in 2008. Another 8 percent are expected to adopt a CDHP by 2010. (Read More)

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Insurers Offer to Soften a Key Rate-Setting Policy.

newyorktimes.com, March 24,  2009
The health insurance industry said Tuesday that it was willing to end the practice of charging higher premiums to sick people if Congress adopted a comprehensive plan requiring all Americans to carry insurance. (Read More)

Trends in Health Care Costs and Spending.

kkf.org, March 19, 2009
This fact sheet on health care costs presents key statistics about the growth, level and impact of rising U.S. health care costs. It covers spending on various medical services, sources of health spending, employer-sponsored health coverage and the impact on businesses and people. (Read More)

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More U.S. Companies Offer Consumer-directed Health Plans.

smartbrief.com, March 18, 2009
More than 51% of U.S. companies offer a consumer-directed health plan and another 8% said they would offer the option by 2010, according to a survey of 489 large employers. (Read More)

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Why Consumers — Not Companies — Should Make Health Care Decisions.

knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu, March 18,  2009
“We don’t actually have a health care system. We have a lot of different systems that are glued together,” Humana president & CEO, Mike McCallister, told an audience at the recent 2009 Wharton Health Care Business Conference. (Read More)

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HSA Clearing Corp Projects 2010 HSA Numbers.

emediawire.com, March 20,  2009
“With Wednesday’s release of the February inflation figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the inflation-adjusted amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs) for 2010 are coming into view,” says Roy Ramthun, Senior Vice President of HSA Clearing Corp. “We can now project the 2010 numbers for HSAs with virtual certainty.”
(Read More)

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Lost Job, Lost Money.

online.wsj.com, March 21,  2009
A job loss doesn’t have that same impact on money in a health savings account, a separate type of tax-advantaged savings account that is typically used in conjunction with a high-deductible insurance plan. (Read More)

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Direct Deposit for your Quarterly Referral Fees.You can now have your First Horizon Msaver quarterly referral fees directly deposited into your bank account. Simply fill out the Electronic Funds Transfer Form and send it to our office along with a voided check.First Horizon Msaver, Inc
7400 W 110 St, Ste 520
Overland Park, KS 66210Please note that if you choose to have your referral fee direct deposited, you will continue to receive the account breakdowns each quarter for your records. Follow Msaver in Twitter @Msaver_HSA