Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Details Of President's HSA Proposals Favors Individuals, Small Business, Nationwide Insurance Details Of President's HSA Proposals Favors Individuals, Small Business, Nationwide Insurance President Bush is proposing changes in HSA legislation that will make it easier for small businesses to join in healthcare alliances and for individuals to pay for more of their healthcare with pre-dollars from their account while at the same time creating a nationwide HSA program. At the same time, he is asking Congress to approve regulations to allow businesses to pay for more of a chronically ill employee’s medical expenses. Called Association Health Plans (AHPs), they would let small businesses join together to purchase health coverage, giving them the same advantages, administrative efficiencies, and negotiating clout enjoyed by big businesses and labor unions. The administration believes that by purchasing coverage for thousands of employees at a time, association members can pay lower premiums for better coverage. Continued - click here for the full article 12:01:08 PM    comment []

600+ Banks Offering HSAs, Accounts Soaring 600+ Banks Offering HSAs, Accounts Soaring Healthcare & You - current issue contents  Click here to subscribe to the free Healthcare & You email newsletter   More than 600 banks and other financial institutions were offering Health Savings Account custodial opportunities to individuals and companies as of January 1, 2006, according to an analysis by Information Strategies, Inc. (ISI). The survey of back office service providers, bank marketing executives and others with knowledge of this sector's offerings clearly put the number of custodians, large institutions, community, and savings banks well past 600. These figures are more than twice the estimates by most industry pundits and put a severe dent in claims of poor interest by HSA distracters. This bright outlook for HSAs can be coupled with the recent announcement by AHIP, the insurance provider association, which reported that there were more than three million Americans utilizing High Deductible Health Plans by the end of 2005. HSAs are made up of two parts— a high deductible healthcare insurance policy coupled with a tax-deferred custodial account. Service providers and others contacted by ISI said that at least 600 banks had taken HSA custodial accounts by the end of 2005. These providers also said tax forms covering the 2005 period indicated strong growth in total savings. CONTINUED - click here for the full article 11:35:23 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 Information Strategies, Inc.. Last update: 4/18/2006; 11:40:45 AM.