Blog
A Few Pesky HSA Compliance Issues
“[T]his young adult woman can open her own HSA. She doesn’t have to be the medical-plan subscriber. In fact, it’s not unusual for more than one person on a contract to be HSA-eligible.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance Dec. 13, 2018 One of the advantages of spending time in the field.. Read more
Reform Prospects in the 116th Congress
“[W]e’ll see a lot of activity at the federal and state level as politicians and special interest groups formulate their political plans for 2020 and beyond.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance Nov. 29, 2018 Although the 116th Congress won’t be seated until early January, it’s not too early to speculate about.. Read more
A Last-Minute Open Enrollment Guide
“It’s easy to conduct this analysis. Sadly, it’s easy not to, which is why most people don’t. But you should. Your costs – and perhaps your care – are at stake.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance Nov. 15, 2018 I hope that this advice doesn’t come too late to affect your.. Read more
Your Compliance Questions Answered
“The only factor that matters when determining whether an HSA-eligible person is entitled to a family or self-only contribution is the size of the contract. Period.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and Compliance November 1, 2018 An important part of my job is to answer your questions about Consumer-Driven Health (CDH) generally.. Read more
One Family’s Approach to Financing Care
“We received a $500 prompt-pay discount and saved approximately $600 on the $1,900 net bill. So, between prompt-pay discount (drawing on Health FSA funds that hadn’t yet been deducted from my paycheck) and the tax savings, our net cost was about $1,300. In contrast, the person in the next chair probably wasn’t covered by.. Read more
A Better HSA Option for Seniors
“If the program ends up depriving the federal treasury of tax revenue, it’s only because older couples are allowed to keep a little more of their resources to pay for . . . retirement medical expenses. . . With concerns about the financial pressures on so many senior citizens who live on fixed incomes,.. Read more
Solving a Small Businessman’s Coverage Dilemma
“This is the ultimate twofer. With as little as one month’s coverage in 2018, they can make the full $6,900 family contribution for 2018 (and they have until April 15, 2019, to deposit the funds), then turn around Jan. 1 and place another $7,000 in their HSAs.” William G. (Bill) Stuart Director of Strategy and.. Read more
In Defense of the Cadillac Tax
“What to do? US Sen. John Kerry came up with perfect answer: Preserve the employer exclusion and impose a 40% excise tax on the amount of the premium that exceeded a particular threshold set by the government. Impose the tax on insurers and position it as punishment to insurers . . . for offering high-cost.. Read more
Getting to 60 on HSA Expansion
“Democrats will point to statistics showing that most HSA owners don’t accumulate large balances because they don’t have sufficient discretionary income to contribute to the current statutory limits. . . But for many, an HSA is merely an alternative to a Health FSA. . . No one criticizes Health FSAs because participants don’t build balances.. Read more
HSA Critics Aim at the Wrong Target
“It’s important to see an HSA for what it is, a financial account with tax benefits, and not what it isn’t, medical coverage with high financial barriers to care. Once we establish these principles, we can have a debate about the merit of HSAs. On the other hand, who’s going to take the position that.. Read more