Congress is considering an expansion to HSA rules such as lifting contribution limits and expanding services that fall under the HSA umbrella. The goal is to address skyrocketing healthcare costs and provide patients with options to save for and pay for healthcare expenses.
Those opposed to the idea question whether expanding limits and services for which HSA dollars can be used will actually provide “meaningful relief” from healthcare bills.
The consensus from opposition is that HSAs do not help relieve the high costs of healthcare. Sherry Glied, a professor at New York University, states that lawmakers “should encourage high-deductible plans to lower their deductibles and provide access.” Adding that the expansion of HSAs will not solve the problem and from the patient’s perspective “the cost of the plan should be a function of what they use, not whether they are paying for it out of an HSA.”
With employers seeing the benefits of HSA plans and a mixed review from employees/patients, it is unlikely this debate will end in the near future. Particularly given the continued growth of HSA plan adoption which, according to a Kaiser study, showed enrollment in HSA plans grew from 4% of employees in 2006 to 20% in 2016.
Referenced from a June 2018 Modern Healthcare article by Susannah Luthi
