Who Can Have An HSA

High Deductible Health Plans

Determining Your Contribution

Using Your HSA

Advantages of HSAs

HSAs

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is an account that you can put money into to save for future medical expenses. There are certain advantages to putting money into these accounts, including favorable tax treatment.

Advantages of HSAs

Security – Your high deductible insurance and HSA protect you against high or unexpected medical bills.

Affordability – You should be able to lower your health insurance premiums by switching to health insurance coverage with a higher deductible.

Flexibility – You can use the funds in your account to pay for current medical expenses, including expenses that your insurance may not cover, or save the money in your account for future needs, such as:
• Health insurance or medical expenses if unemployed
• Medical expenses after retirement (before Medicare)
• Out-of-pocket expenses when covered by Medicare
• Long-term care expenses and insurance

Savings – You can save the money in your account for future medical expenses and grow your account through investment earnings.

Control – You make all the decisions about:
• How much money to put into the account
• Whether to save the account for future expenses or
pay current medical expenses
• Which medical expenses to pay from the account
• Which company will hold the account
• Whether to invest any of the money in the account
• Which investments to make

Portability – Accounts are completely portable, meaning you can keep your HSA even if you:
• Change jobs
• Change your medical coverage
• Become unemployed
• Move to another state
• Change your marital status

Ownership – Funds remain in the account from year to year, just like an IRA. There are no “use it or lose it” rules for HSAs.

Tax Savings – An HSA provides you triple tax savings:
(1) tax deductions when you contribute to your account;
(2) tax-free earnings through investment; and,
(3) tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses.