Schism in health care coverage
"Individuals who don't have large annual health care costs can profit from switching to HSA accounts," says JoAnn Laing, author of the forthcoming book “The Consumer Guide to HSAs.”
"Now, 73 percent of Americans spend $500 or less each year on health care," Laing said. "If they funded HSAs up to the deductible, she said, these consumers would still have a sizeable portion to roll over to the following year. Unused funds build up from year to year, tax free, and may be used to pay for future health care needs."
"HSAs also benefit companies, which are now seeing premiums for traditional health insurance plans rise by as much as 15 percent annually. Many are offering to use the money they expect to save to contribute to employees’ HSA accounts," Laing says.
"These accounts are owned and controlled by the individual, and they can take them from one employer to another, so they give people greater freedom," she added.
Read the full article on MSNBC here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6306999/
Wall Street Journal quotes JoAnn Laing
Comb Through Your Bills. Being an effective health-care consumer means understanding the bills and statements that you get after a doctor's visit. To do that you'll need to educate yourself on exactly what procedures you need, what your plan covers and what it doesn't.
Wall Street Journal quotes JoAnn Laing...
"Checking for accuracy is really important," says JoAnn Laing, author of the forthcoming book "The Consumer Guide to HSAs." She gives the example of having an MRI scan. "When you go for the procedure, you need to know everything about it, like whether they are doing it with contrast or without. And then afterwards you need to check exactly what they charged you for."
