Health
Has Enrollment in HSA-Eligible Health Plans Stalled?
Are we seeing fewer enrollments in HSA-eligible health plans? It’s hard to tell. Some surveys look at year-over-year growth of enrollment in HSA-eligible plans, which seems to be leveling off. Other surveys look at the number of health savings accounts being established, which continues to rise – for instance, EBRI finds that 21 percent of all HSAs were established in 2016. Are plan participants driving these differences as they change jobs and/or dis-enroll from HSA-eligible plans while maintaining ownership of existing HSAs and establishing new ones with new plans and / or new employers? What role does public policy play? )
Workers Rank Health Care as the Most Critical Issue in the United States
Workers rank health care as the most critical issue in the nation, according to new research from EBRI. The survey also finds that a majority of workers describe the health care system as poor or fair, though workers’ satisfaction in their own health plans remains high. Rising health care costs have implications for financial wellbeing among workers. Of the one-half of workers reporting cost increases, 26 percent state they have decreased their contributions to retirement plans, and 43 percent have decreased their contributions to other savings. The survey was made possible with funding support from the following organizations: AXA Equitable Financial Services, LLC, Cigna, Mercer LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., The Segal Group, Inc., and Unum Group.
Health Savings Account Balances, Contributions, Distributions, and Other Vital Statistics, 2016: Statistics from the EBRI HSA Database
The vast majority of health savings account (HSA) owners rolled over money at the end of last year, retaining HSA funds to cover future health expenses, according to new findings by EBRI.
After Years of Erosion, Mid-size and Some Small Employers Added Health Coverage in 2016
Despite predictions the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) would cause private-sector employers to stop offering health coverage to their workers, the national “offer rate” is ticking up—possibly because of a healthy economy and low unemployment rates, according to new research by EBRI.
