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How Will an HSA Save Me Money?
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tool to help you save money on health insurance. But how does it do that? A Health Savings Account (HSA) is just a savings account. Duh, I know. It is just like a bank account where you can put money in and you can gain some interest. But it has two special qualities that a regular bank account doesn't. First, when you put money in, that amount gets reduced from your taxable income. And you know what that means! You pay less taxes. The second thing that's different about an HSA is that you can only withdraw money for specified medical reasons. Doctor visits, pharmaceutical or over-the-counter drugs, hospital visits, etc. may be paid with HSA money. Now, all this helps you with money a little bit. You gain some interest in the account. And you pay a little less in taxes. But the real benefit comes in an indirect way. When you sign up for an HSA, your HSA custodian (insurance agent, bank, financial advisor, etc.) will ask you if you have a high-deductible health plan. That means whether you are currently covered by a health insurance policy that has a deductible of at least $1,000 for an individual and $2,000 for a family. If you don't have that type of health insurance, you cannot get an HSA. Period. But if you do, then the health insurance and the HSA fit together perfectly. You pay for the small stuff each year with your HSA money. Then, when and if a big medical bill comes, your health insurance policy covers it. But a funny thing happens when you switch from a low-deductible health plan to a high-deductible health plan. Your premiums, that is the payments you have to make month-to-month, drop through the floor. They become astonishingly low. For my wife and I, a low-deductible policy would cost about $1,100 a month. That's a huge amount! But we've chosen a high-deductible policy, which costs $175 a month. That's an incredible difference. In fact, it is such a huge difference, that I want you to do a little calculation with me. What if I got sick every single year, so sick that I had to use my entire HSA every single year. I would basically exceed my deductible every year. Would I still be glad that I had a high-deductible policy and an HSA? Yes, I would. Really. Add up the amounts and you'll see. $1,100 per month equals $13,200 per year. If the deductible is $250, I'd have to pay that too (if I was so sick) so the total would be $13,450. With the high-deductible policy, $175 times twelve months equals $2,100 in premiums. Add a high-deductible of $5,000 and you've got a total of $7,100. This means that, in my worst year I would still save $6,350. What about in a healthy year? I would save $11,100. That's like two all-expenses-paid vacations a year! Or, in my case, that's a ton of yoga classes, visits to a naturopath, polarity therapy, massages and reflexology sessions. Do the math for your own family. You will be surprised. I teach this stuff in classes and there are often people who suddenly blurt out "I never realized that!" and I can just see them scurrying to their insurance agents after the class to make the changes and sign up for an HSA. Health Savings Accounts are a wonderful tool to help you save money on insurance. They are available today! See your insurance agent, bank or financial advisor for details. Daryl Kulak is the author of the book "Health Insurance Off the Grid - A Wonderful Way to Use Alternative Medicine and Save Money on Insurance Using the New Health Savings Account (HSA)." The book provides a nine-step plan to get your self-employed or small business health insurance costs under control using a unique approach you won't find anywhere else. The book is available for sale as an e-Book or paperback at the Website http://www.healthoffthegrid.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Futures flat; Lehman buyout news, data awaited (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors awaited news on the fate of Lehman Brothers after a slide in its stock this week heightened fears over whether the investment bank can survive. Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News) The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. Site: news - Google News News Analysis A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the CIA - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for insurance NC insurance commissioner orders lower auto rates (AP via Yahoo! Finance) North Carolina State Insurance Commissioner Jim Long on Thursday rejected an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Auto-insurance rates in N.C. ordered cut by 16.1 percent (Winston-Salem Journal) N.C. Insurance Commissioner Jim Long rejected yesterday an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Survey: Insurance Industry Expects Subprime Issues to Negatively Impact 2009 Performance (Insurance Journal) Insurance executives expect subprime and other credit issues to continue to have a significantly negative impact on the industry's financial performance in 2009, and they see credit and pricing risks Nevada Names Baker Acting Insurance Commissioner (Insurance Journal) The Nevada Department of Business & Industry named Betty C. Baker acting commissioner of the Division of Insurance. Baker will oversee the Division while a replacement is sought for Alice Molasky-Arma Here's the lowdown on 'private' bank and broker insurance (USA Today) Q: I've noticed several banks and brokerage firms claiming they have private insurance that protects accounts above the FDIC and SIPC limits. Should investors trust those promises? State unemployment insurance claims up (Macon Telegraph) The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that 59,090 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in August, an increase of 72.1 percent from August 2007, but a slight decrease from July to August this year. Fitch Ratings Gives Island Insurance an "Aq" (Insurance Journal) Island Insurance Co. Ltd., Hawaii's largest locally owned and managed property and casualty insurance carrier, has reaffirmed its "Aq" rating for Quantitative Insurer Financial Strength (Q-IFS) by Fit Looking for Free or Low-cost Health Insurance? (Carteret County News-Times) (ARA) - It's no secret that accessing health care is a challenge for the 47 million Americans who are uninsured. Lack of health insurance forces many Americans to choose the health care they receive based on what they can afford, not what they actually need. Uganda: Health Insurance May Face NSSF Fate (AllAfrica.com) The government has finally resolved that all salaried workers and employers, will with effect from July 2009, be required to make compulsory contributions to the new National Social Health Insurance Scheme. The net inflow from life insurance companies into equity stood at Rs550bn till March 31, 2008 , foreign institutional ... (India Infoline) The life insurance industry was the largest investor in the Indian equity markets, ahead of foreign institutional investors and mutual funds, according to the reports. Site: insurance - Google News Obama Plan for Government Insurance Draws Criticism - Bloomberg
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