Can A Health Savings Account Help You Bridge Employment Gaps?

Written by Lindsay Torres on August 30, 2010 – 8:11 am

Health Savings Accounts may have been stifled by complex regulations, but these accounts can do much more than just turn your healthcare bills into tax deductions. With unemployment a constant threat, health savings accounts help people maintain coverage between jobs, and even into retirement.

Anyone under 65 can start a Health Savings Account once they buy a qualified high-deductible health insurance plan. That’s an insurance plan with a deductible of at least $1,050 for individuals or $2,100 for families. These plans mush also have a limit of $5,250 for an individual and $10,500 for a family on their out-of-pocket costs.

HSA Plans have a great advantage over flexibility spending accounts for medical expenses because, unlike flexible spending accounts, HSA contributions and gains roll over from year to year. Any funds not used annually in a flexible savings account are lost at yearend or when employment ends. All withdrawals from a Health Savings Account must be for qualified healthcare expenses otherwise you face a penalty of 10 percent.

Health Savings Accounts are completely independent of employment so these funds can be used as a “safety net” when jobs are lost, or workers move to new jobs. Aft

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Tags: Employment, Health Savings, Health Savings Account, Savings Account
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