Saving money pre-tax to pay for medical expenses is one of the best tricks to keeping your costs down. No matter which medical plan you have, there’s an option for you to stash away some funds for expenses like co-pays, cost-shares, prescription drugs, and more, with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
So which one is right for you? There are some important rules and features to know about before you choose. Learn more about each option to see which one is the best match.
Policy/group #: N/A
Call: (800) 835-5097
Website: netbenefits.com
*Current HSA provider
Policy/group #: N/A
Call: (800) 357-6246
Website: choicefund.hsabank.com
*Previous HSA provider
Policy/group #: PRP
Call: (800) 669-3539
Website: naviabenefits.com
The HSA, administered by Fidelity is available only to participants in the Cigna or Kaiser CDHP medical plans. An HSA is a unique, tax-advantaged account that can be used to pay for current or future healthcare expenses. When combined with a high-deductible health plan, it offers savings and tax advantages that a traditional health plan can’t duplicate.
When you enroll in an HSA, you will need to make a beneficiary designation. It is important to keep your beneficiary designations up-to-date. You can update beneficiary designations at any time during the year. You do not have to wait until the annual enrollment period to make changes to your beneficiary designations.
Employer contributions will only be made to active, eligible HSA accounts that have completed all required verification steps. Employees have 90 days to open their HSA account. If the account is not opened, employee will forfeit any HSA employer contributions. Missed contributions due to delayed account activation will not be retroactively funded. Additionally, if an employee has already reached their annual IRS contribution limit, they will forfeit any remaining employer contributions for the year.
Per IRS regulations, contributions may begin on the first day of the month following your HSA effective date. Employees who newly enroll in the HSA with an effective date after December 1 will be eligible for contributions beginning January 1 of the following year and will not receive Q4 contributions in the current year.
Click below to view the CDHP Easy Guide
An FSA is available to you no matter which health plan you select. Administered by Navia Benefit Solutions, FSAs allow you to pay for health and dependent care expenses with tax-free dollars. Here’s how they work: You estimate how much you will spend on eligible expenses in the comingyear and elect to have that amount deducted from your pay on a pre-tax basis.