Report finds high percentage of employer contributions in health accounts

In "Most Report Employer Contributions to Health Accounts", the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) reports that:

"Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of workers with a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) or health savings account (HSA) reported that their employers contributed to the account last year... the percentage of workers with an HRA or HSA plan whose employers contributed to the account has been steadily increasing since 2009, and in 2013 reached its highest level since the inception of the survey."

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EBRI Explores Eligibility for Account-Based Health Plans

In "How Many Are Eligible for Account-Based Health Plans?", the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) finds:

"According to the 2013 EBRI/Greenwald & Associates Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey (CEHCS), among individuals with traditional, employment-based health benefits and a choice of health
plans, 37 percent were eligible for a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) or a health savings account (HSA)-based plan in 2013, about the same percentage as has been eligible for such plans since 2007.

The report notes that 11.8 million adults ages 21–64 (9.7 percent of the U.S. population) were enrolled in a plan with an HRA or HSA. An additional 9.3 million reported that they were in an HSA-eligible plan but had not opened such an account. Thus, overall, about 21 million adults ages 21–64 with private insurance, representing 17.3 percent of that market, were either in a CDHP or an HSA-eligible plan but had not opened the account."

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Research examines contributions to HRAs and HSAs

 In "Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Reimbursement Arrangements and Health Savings Accounts, 2006–2013," the Employee Benefit Research Institute explains that:

"It was found that a significant percentage of workers with traditional health benefits were eligible for account-based health plans. Among individuals with traditional, employment-based health benefits and a choice of health plans, 37 percent were eligible for an HRA or an HSA-based plan in 2013, about the same percentage as has been eligible for such plans since 2007..."

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Towers Watson Explains the Impact of the ACA on HRAs, FSAs and Other Health Accounts

In "Applying PPACA Market Reforms to HRAs, FSAs and Other Health Accounts", Towers Watson explains that:

"New guidance prohibits employers from using individual accounts, such as health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), to reimburse employees for premiums they buy in a public or private exchange. Under the guidance, however, employers may use certain “integrated” HRAs to reimburse retirees tax-free for individual policy premiums."

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CRS Compares Types of Health Accounts

Congressional Research Service (CRS) explains "Tax-Advantaged Accounts for Health Care Expenses: Side-by-Side Comparison, 2013". The report states:

"Four types of tax-advantaged accounts can be used to pay for unreimbursed qualifying medical expenses: health care flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs), health savings accounts (HSAs), and medical savings accounts (MSAs). Qualifying unreimbursed medical expenses are defined in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and typically include deductibles, copayments, and goods and/or services not covered by insurance. The goods and/or services can include medical services rendered by physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other medical practitioners. The costs of equipment, supplies, diagnostic devices, and prescription drugs are also qualifying medical expenses."

To read the full report, click here.