Monday, July 31, 2006

Wide Availability Of New HSA Account Custodians Hides Strong Growth As a river bed widens, the current slows but the underlying power of the water’s surge does not diminish. As Information Strategies, Inc.’s quarterly survey indicates, the growth in custodial accounts is not slowing but the number of custodians available to pick up the flow is growing substantially. 4:57:02 PM    comment []

HSA Bank, Benefitfocus Announce Integrated HSA Management Tool For Fall Release Continuing the trend to more integrated Health Savings Account (HSA) offerings, Benefitfocus will launch an integrated product with HSA Bank(TM). The new product offers consumers a seamless experience that guides them in the purchase and management of their healthcare and healthcare finances. Available by the fourth quarter of 2006, the integrated solution will provide ongoing management services for consumers and businesses. 4:56:31 PM    comment []

Americans See Need To Tie Health Insurance Rates To Individual Lifestyles Confirming a trend towards more individualized health insurance pay rates, a new WSJ.com/Harris health-care poll indicates growing U.S. support for charging higher insurance premiums or out-of-pockets medical costs to people with unhealthy lifestyles. 4:55:39 PM    comment []

Healthcare Insurance Rates Climb In Two Studies, Decline In ISI Study Of HSA Families While pundits have praised CDH as a means to reduce healthcare costs, it has yet to impact the overall trend towards higher family expenditures. In Information Strategies, Inc.’s studies of 14,000 HSA users, there is an overall decline in yearly expenditures, healthcare premium and outlays for provider services; overall the trend is still in the double digit range. 4:55:12 PM    comment []

Employers Have Much To Learn About CDH From New Buck Consultants Annual Survey In its annual survey of the HRA/HSA Market ACS/Mellon reported small but growing enrollment fueled by rising cost of health care coverage.  At the same time, the group had significant information about CDH for employers. 4:54:23 PM    comment []

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