Consulting group Financial Insights predicts that 2007 will be the year health savings accounts (HSAs) take off. In a July report, the Framingham, Mass.-based firm is projecting an almost 10-fold surge in assets in HSAs by 2010, to $48 billion from $5.1 billion last year. But it is taking a confluence of high-profile endorsements and sophisticated new payment and settlement tools to make it happen.
HSAs let consumers, enrolled in high-deductible health plans, set aside pre-tax dollars for future medical, retirement or long-term care expenses. The HSA account holder can invest these funds in a range of choices, and then use them for qualified expenses. The funds roll over from year to year and you can take them with you when you change jobs. The premise is that HSAs give consumers control over their own healthcare management and spending.
For companies, HSAs represent potential cost savings. Premiums for HSA insurance offerings are as much as one-third lower than comparable preferred provider option (PPO) and non-HSA, high-deductible plans, according to a survey by consulting company Information Strategies Inc. But, despite these pluses, adoption to date has been slow.
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