HSA-Eligible Health Plans Embrace Changes to Better Serve Americans With Chronic Health Conditions

 Employer-provided coverage delivers affordable access to care, effective ways to improve health, and financial security for more than 183 million Americans every day. Quality health benefits for full-time workers are a key part of the social and economic compact in the United States.

More than 32 million Americans have employer-provided coverage that, when combined with a health savings account (HSA), provides them with more control over and value for their health care.

Until recently, HSA-eligible health plans were restricted in covering care that wasn’t considered preventive before a consumer satisfied their plan’s deductible. But in July 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2019-45, guidance which expanded the list of preventive care benefits to include many items and services used to manage chronic health conditions. Now, plans and employers may offer 14 additional items and services pre-deductible, including insulin and other glucose lowering agents, glucometers, inhalers, statins, and others.

How many health plans are leveraging this new flexibility to provide greater value to patients and consumers?

In May - June 2021 AHIP and the Smarter Health Care Coalition conducted a survey of health insurance plans to assess changes in the benefit design for HSA-eligible HDHPs. Thirty-six health plans covering every region of the country responded to the survey.

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