HSA Doomed?

[Yagents]

Leave it up to our gov't to abolish the real solution to reducing health costs............

Review & Outlook: The Soaring Public Health Tab - WSJ.com
ObamaCare may poison the well for reform if Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius decides that HSAs don't meet the law's requirements for mandated "essential" coverage. Add this to the long list of ways that ObamaCare will inhibit innovation, but it's getting hard to keep track of them all.

 

[xrac]

We will say bye to the HSA.

 

[LGilmore]

I don't know as HSAs currently provide for preventive outside the deductible. I think HSAs will be allowed to change to meet quidelines. Just as they have when other issues came up.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

I also think some form of HSAs will be saved. But for those of us with websites, we'll have to change every damn page once we hit 2014. All of the plans we write about will change.

 

[GreenSky]

I also think some form of HSAs will be saved. But for those of us with websites, we'll have to change every damn page once we hit 2014. All of the plans we write about will change.

Yeah, we're going to have nothing at all to write.

Rick

 

[Yagents]

The govey can make them obsolete if they follow the letter of the law. Supposedly, in PPACA, every plan must allow 3 dr vist copays, which makes them HSA ineligble, even the bronze plan

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

I also think some form of HSAs will be saved. But for those of us with websites, we'll have to change every damn page once we hit 2014. All of the plans we write about will change.

I dont see why you would need to do that

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

I guess I'm assuming that a lot of the plans won't be available or will be changed.

I'll give you an example...When they made preventive coverage 100% with no deductible etc...it took me a while to go through every blog entry and web page to change wording. Often, I referenced a plan that paid preventive coverage subject to a small copay (or something like that). They all needed to be changed.

In fact, I know I have more to go although I got most of the pages changed.

 

[Newby]

If you like the health plan you are on now you can keep it.

Obama promised.

 

[Dave020]

If you like the health plan you are on now you can keep it.

Obama promised.

That is why it is so important not to just go messing with grandfathered coverage plans. In CA, only Anthem Blue Cross provides the ability for a subscriber to move to a new plan and maintain grandfathered status on an internal change of coverage. All other carriers force subscribers out of grandfathered status to move to any different plan, even internally.

Fortunately Anthem is subject to Serencsa (look it up Class Action lawsuit) so those on GF plans get some extra chances to move to NGF plans between now and 2014. That can be beneficial depending on rate actions on GF plans between now and 2014.

If anyone is on an HSA purchased prior to 3/23/2010, they can keep it into ObamaCare since it is grandfathered. To give up an HSA plan at this point since we know at least in CA carriers can only sell non-HSA "precious metal" plans would be stupid. A GF HSA plan in 2015 will be allowed to continue (we'll see about premiums) but a NGF HSA plan bought today will go bye bye in 2014 to be replaced by Gold, Silver, Bronze, Platinum and Catastrophic (for those under 30 or with a valid Obama waiver Get out of jail free card).

In CA, starting in 2014 or sooner, only 'precious metals' plans can be sold in or out of the exchange. These plans have no HSA provisions at all so it won't be available in CA once the exchange opens for business. But, those on grandfathered HSA plans WILL be able to continue with the HSA plan regardless of what ObamaCare does.

Move someone off an HSA they bought pre-PPACA and you might have screwed them out of ever having one again.