Author Topic: New Employer HSA question  (Read 403 times)

Heroes821

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New Employer HSA question
« on: August 09, 2023, 06:50:11 AM »
Good Morning the hivemind with a mustache.

I haven't been posting much here lately, but recently the company I work for got sold in a not normal way and only some folks got rehired which means the new owners are making everyone redo all of their benefits.  They have 2 health plan options but no HSA. When I inquired they said that both health plans are traditional and they do not offer a HDHP.


The 1 plan that looks like a HDHP has a $4000 family deductible, a 100% coinsurance, a $9000 OoP Limit.   Now it does say There is an emergency room copay and prescription copays listed.


My question is what is the sniff test to actually qualify for a HDHP? Because I know I can open my own HSA myself and fund it, but I can't fund it unless I'm under a HDHP. 

yachi

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Re: New Employer HSA question
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2023, 08:47:05 AM »
I've noticed the most typical thing that prevents a plan with a high deductible from qualifying for an HSA is prescription drug coverage that's active before you meet the deductible.  Just a health insurance-negotiated discount is fine, but not when they pay a portion of the cost.  I say it's the most typical thing, because it's also what people are most concerned about.  You can spend a lot of money in a year on prescription medicine without reaching the deductible, so people don't like that none of it is covered.

But there are other things too, I'm looking at that emergency room copay with a side eye.  If it's active before you meet the deductible, then that would be enough to disqualify it.

As a curiosity, it's interesting to see what (desirable?) trait is keeping an otherwise-qualifying plan from qualifying.  But generally, your health insurance company *knows* when they are or are not providing an HSA-eligible HDHP plan, and will tell you, and pair it with an HSA account.  Next year marks the 20th anniversary since the introduction of HDHP plans and HSAs, so none of this is new to them.



secondcor521

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Re: New Employer HSA question
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2023, 01:15:56 PM »
Here's the IRS litmus test:

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p969#en_US_2022_publink1000204030

But I would just ask the HDHP if they are HSA qualified.  They should be able to give you an authoritative answer.

seattlecyclone

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Re: New Employer HSA question
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2023, 01:24:16 PM »
I think pretty much any coverage for any non-preventive thing before you pay the full deductible will often make a plan HSA-ineligible. The fact that it has a deductible within the required range is not even close to sufficient. HSA-compliant plans should generally advertise themselves as such. If it doesn't, it probably isn't.

Heroes821

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Re: New Employer HSA question
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2023, 02:42:10 PM »
Here's the IRS litmus test:

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p969#en_US_2022_publink1000204030

But I would just ask the HDHP if they are HSA qualified.  They should be able to give you an authoritative answer.

Thank you for that link! 


For Yachi, I agree.  That's why I ended up reaching out to the benefits provider team and even their answer was idk but they opened a ticket to get an answer to me "soon".   If the plan doesn't qualify as a HDHP it makes no sense to offer the two plans they have because they are almost the same price and the 2nd one has half the deductible and OOP limits of the 1st one.   

I'm crossing my fingers that they just don't offer their own HSA but the plan still qualifies, if not oh well I guess count it as a salary reduction I guess.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!