HSA Pros & Cons - Interested in hearing your opinion

[Guest Kerry Brunner]

It would appear that for HSA plans to really work if the goal is to make sure that participants use dollars "wisely" and in a "efficient" manner, published pricing and some sort of valid quality measures are prerequisites. Otherwise, HSA plans appear to be little more than new cost-shifting vehicles cloaked in a "new and improved" marketing scheme.

Perhaps my comments may be a bit harsh, but it strikes me that for these plans to really work, the key isn't whether Suzie has the MRI or not, but "WHERE" she has the MRI ~ in a competitive environment where prices are posted and where service quality is also easily available. In many healthcare markets, cost isn't possible to obtain and compare and quality measures are kept under wraps.

While healthcare isn't like buying a set of tires, for a marketplace to be competitive there needs to be more transparency rather than just shifting cost to participants.

My 2 cents ... or 1 cent after the provider discount is taken

[mroberts]

I agree with your logic. HSA's probably are not going to lower the overall costs associated with healthcare and if they do, it will be by a minute amount. If you follow the 80/20 rule, 20% of participants are going to make up roughly 80% of the claims. All the catastrophic claims (premi babies, bypass surgery, transplants...) are going to fall under this 80% figure and having an HSA plan is not going to impact these claims whatsoever. So you're left with trying to contain costs on the other 20% of claims. How many members are actually going to try finding out the least expensive doctor or the hospital with the least expensive MRI and the like? Probably not too many.