| Health Savings Accounts (HSA's)
In
2003 Congress created a law paving the way for Health Savings
Accounts (HSA's). By way of definition, an HSA is a tax exempt
account established for the purpose of paying medical expenses in conjunction
with a high-deductible health plan. Unlike cafeteria plans, flexible spending
accounts, or Health reimbursement arrangements, HSA's are portable and are not a "use it
or lose it" type of plan. Monies contributed to an HSA accumulate in
the employee's account year to year. If those dollars are not used
for medical care, they can become a supplement to an employee's
retirement account or can pay for qualified medical expenses in
future years. HSA's can be established by individuals or an employer
for their employees.
In most cases, insurance policies over
insure the wrong thing - small costs associated with health care for
generally healthy people.
HSA's ensure that you are covered for catastrophic costs if they
come up, but generally save money by lowering health insurance
premiums paid each month. All this and the possibility of additional
monies at retirement!
We feel that HSA's are a step in the
right direction - putting health care decisions, as well as the
ability to control their costs, back in the hands of the
consumers. After years of working with similar concepts we can help
you evaluate this new way of looking at paying for healthcare.
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