Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were created as a tax-favored framework to provide health care benefits mainly for small to midsize businesses and the self-employed. So, assuming your company falls into one of these categories, have you considered the strategy of using these accounts with a high-deductible health plan (HDHP)?

Tax benefits

The tax benefits of HSAs are quite favorable and substantial. Eligible individuals can make tax-deductible (adjusted gross income) contributions into HSA accounts. The funds in the account may be invested (somewhat like an IRA), so there is an opportunity for growth. The earnings inside the HSA are free from federal income tax, and funds withdrawn to pay eligible health care costs are tax-free.

An HSA is a tax-exempt trust or custodial account established exclusively for paying qualified medical expenses of the participant who, for the months for which contributions are made to an HSA, is covered under an HDHP. Consequently, an HSA is not insurance; itis an account, which must be opened with a bank, brokerage firm, or other provider (typically an insurance company). It is therefore different from a Flexible Spending Account in that it involves an outside provider serving as a custodian or trustee.

Dollar limits

The 2016 maximum contribution and deduction for individual self-only coverage under a high-deductible plan is $3,350, while the comparable amount for family coverage is $6,750. Individuals age 55 or older by the end of 2016 are allowed additional contributions and deductions of $1,000. However, when an individual enrolls in Medicare, contributions cannot be made to an HSA.

For 2016, an HDHP is defined as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,300 for self-only coverage and $2,600 for family coverage, and the annual out-of-pocket expenses (including deductibles and co-payments, but not premiums) must not exceed $6,550 for self-only coverage or $13,100 for family coverage.

Worthy of consideration

An HSA with an HDHP is, of course, but one benefits strategy of many. But it is worth considering. Please call us for help determining whether it would be the right move for your company this year or perhaps in 2017.