What Is Health Savings Account (HSA) Insurance?

Health Savings Account Insurance is an innovative approach to health coverage and the advantage is invaluable to you and your family. In health savings account insurance, you are the one to control the money in the account, not your employer or the insurance company.

In this article, we are going to help you with the best explanation of health savings account insurance, if it is right for you, how you can set it up, and many other things. Read on.

What Is HSA Insurance?

A health savings account (HSA) is a type of savings account that allows you to put money aside for eligible medical bills. An HSA cannot be opened by just anyone. You must be enrolled in a health plan with a high deductible (HDHP). And not just any HDHP qualifies for the HSA.

The plan must include a greater deductible than conventional individual health insurance benefits plans, as well as a maximum out-of-pocket limit, which includes deductibles, copays, and coinsurance, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Is HSA Insurance Right for You?

Just like every other health insurance plan, health savings account insurance may or may not be right for you. Therefore, before going for it, you will need to weigh your options, consider what your budget is like and the likely health care you may need within the next year.

In general, if you are healthy and would want to save for future health care expenses, having health savings account insurance may be a good option for you. Also, if you are advancing toward your retirement, the health savings account insurance may just be a plus for you as you could use it to offset the cost of your health needs when you get retired.

Contrarily, if you consider your coming year and there is the tendency for you to have a serious health challenge that may need high deductibles, you should not consider obtaining a health savings account.

READ ALSO: Insurance Deductible Vs Out Of Pocket: Difference in 2023

Can Anyone Set Up A Health Savings Account Insurance?

If you work under an employer, they may offer health savings account insurance for you. But if not, you can do so for yourself. However, you must meet the eligibility for setting up the account and one of them is that you must be below 65 years and also have high deductibles. Thus, the high deductible plans must be your only health insurance. But you may have other plans such as dental, vision, disability, and long-term care insurance.

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What Are High Deductibles And How Do They Work?

A deductible is the number of expenses you will pay each year before your insurance plan can cover you.

High deductible plans will not kick off until you have spent not less than $1,400 for an individual plan or $2,800 for a family plan of your money on medical expenses. On the other hand, deductibles vary according to the insurance plan you purchased. Deductibles don’t go beyond $7,000 for an individual and $14,000 for a family.

Also, for a plan with high deductibles, the premiums are usually lower. This is the case with Health Savings Account insurance. It has high deductibles with lower premiums. In addition, some preventive services like mammograms are covered before the deductibles are made.

Nowadays, high deductibles health insurance plans are becoming rampant. Most businesses are going for the covers that have high deductibles as one of the limited options they have. This could be risky for you, going by how much you can afford to pay for medical expenses in a year.

Benefits Of A High Deductible Medical Plan with a Health Savings Account Insurance

The major perks of a high deductible medical plan with a health savings account insurance include the following:

  • It guarantees tax savings
  • Health savings account insurance can take care of the expenses your normal insurance does not cover
  • It offers the ability for others to contribute to your account
  • You can enjoy the freedom to use the account to pay for healthcare expenses.
  • Health savings account insurance also offers the portability of funds in your account. As such, you can rollover any funds left in your account at the end of the year to the coming year. So, you are not mandated to use up the money remaining in your HAS account at the end of the year. It is yours to keep forever.
  • You can decide not to use the fund for health care expenses
  • You can use the money in your health savings account insurance as part of your retirement plan.

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Is It Possible For An Employer To Contribute To Your Health Savings Account Insurance?

Your employer can contribute to your HAS insurance if they wish. However, the total amount they contribute, plus yours, will not exceed the limit determined by the Internal Revenue.

How Do You Contribute To Your Health Savings Account?

When you open HSA insurance, it allows you to pay lower federal income taxes by making tax-free deposits into your account each year. Most states in the US offer tax breaks on funds deposited into these accounts. Meanwhile, some states do not have any income tax so, your HSA contribution will only affect federal taxes in those states.

As noted, the only people eligible to make contributions into the account are you (as the account owner) and your employer, or even anyone else who wishes to contribute on your behalf.

The contributions you made to the health savings account do not require you to make any income tax on the funds. Also, if your employer contributes, the money is not taxed as income for you as the employee.

READ ALSO: What Is Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

How Much Money Is Enough To Deposit Annually For A Health Savings Account?

The limit for health savings account insurance is set by the Internal Revenue and not even the insurance company in question. Currently (2023), the limit you can deposit per year into your HSA is $3,650 for individuals and $7,300 for a family.

Can I Withdraw Money from a Health Savings Account to take care of Nonmedical Expenses?

Yes, it is possible but the price does not come cheap. Hence, the condition for doing that is that you must pay an income tax on the money you are to withdraw as well as a 20% penalty on it. This can happen only when you do so before you turn 65. Any moment after you have turned 65, you will not pay any penalty but you must pay taxes on the money.

In addition, the money you deposit into your health savings account insurance is yours to withdraw you pay for your medical expenses which you did not pay from your high-deductibles health insurance policy. That is, your HSA can settle your out-of-pocket bills. Health savings account insurance is seen as part of consumer-driven health care (CDHC). That means that you are the one who controls the plan and decides on how to spend and invest the money.

Out-of-pocket expenses may include deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, vision, dental care, and other medical expenses.

Can You Use Your Health Savings Account To Pay for Your Spouse’s Medical Expenses?

Yes, it is possible to do so. You can also pay for other family members even if your HDHP does not cover them. For the records, family members include your dependent children or qualifying relatives. So, anyone who is part of your tax household is eligible for the payment.

Further, if you are fortunate enough not to need to withdraw from your HSA account to pay for medical bills, the money in the account will roll over to the next year, while your account grows with interest.

READ ALSO: What is Co-pay in Health Insurance?

How Do You Set Up A Health Savings Account Insurance?

You can choose from a long list of banks, credit unions, and brokerage firms that offer accounts for saving and growing health savings account insurance funds. Although your employer may offer the high deductibles health plan to you, you may also purchase them on your own directly from your health insurance company or through the exchange in your state.

If you are to purchase it on your own, almost every county in the USA makes it available. HealthCare.gov or any state-run marketplace designs their HSA-eligible plan with an icon or a small notification. Hence, you can use a search filter to narrow the plan selections to only show HSA-eligible plans.

What Is The Ideal Place To keep Your Health Savings Account Funds?

Typically, health insurance companies and employers may suggest a bank that you can use to start up a health savings account. Therefore, it is left for you to choose a health savings account insurance custodian that is convenient for you. But if you are using your HS through your employer, you may not have a choice, other than what your employer selects. Still, as long as the funds are in your account, you are free to transfer them to another HSA custodian if that is what you want.

There are several custodians of HSA in form of banks, credit unions, and brokerage firms. So, you can shop around to select the best for you. You will also have a range of option plans. Brokerages offer numerous stocks, bonds, and funds to invest in with low trading fees. Others may not have all of these options and maybe more expensive and have hidden fees as well.

You can use an HSA Search to discover the charges on each company. Another simpler way is to check with your provider to know what they have and the charges on each package.

What To Look For When Choosing A Health Savings Account Insurance Provider

HealthSavings, Lively, The HSA Authority, and Fidelity are some of the health savings account providers you may consider. However, you may have difficulties determining the best. Here are ways to find out:

  • Compare the investment options and strategies. Always invest based on your goals. You can invest in a lower-risk option if you plan to use your health savings account to cover a medical bill. But if the aim is to use it as a retirement account, then, you can take more risks on it since the money is going to be invested in the long term.
  • Consider the fees involved. Be sure to be looking out for monthly account fees or investment fees.
  • Consider the debit card option. You may consider cash-back or travel rewards credit cards. This may help you to earn rewards on your purchase. But if you are to use the funds directly in your HSA, then request a debit card from your issuer.

Conclusion

This article has offered you the best on this topic. It is left for you to go for what is best for you. If you have difficulties deciding, you may contact your provider to help you with more analysis.

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