PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 60

Health Savings Strategies
PS COACH
FSAs, HSAs and HRAs differ-but how?
E
mployers have three options
beyond their health plan for helping
workers save for and manage
their health care expenses. Any of them-
flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health
savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursement
arrangements (HRAs)-let
the employee pay for eligible medical,
dental and vision care not covered by their
employer's plan by using pre-tax dollars.
But here the differences begin. For some
plan sponsors, and employees, figuring
those out can be daunting. Below we
explain what they are.
FSAs
There are two types of FSAs: those to help
employees pay for day care (dependent care
FSAs) or, better known by employees, those
to cover out-of-pocket health care costs
(health FSAs), notes Steve Christenson,
executive vice president at Ascensus in
Brainerd, Minnesota.
Steve Wojcik, vice president of public
policy at the National Business Group
on Health (NBGH) in Washington,
D.C., explains that, in FSA programs,
employees elect to have a certain amount
of their pay check deducted, pre-tax. The
IRS sets a limit every year on how much
may be saved; this year, it is $2,700.
Amounts contributed are not subject
to federal income tax, Social Security tax
or Medicare tax. If the plan allows, the
employer may contribute to employees'
FSAs. However, Christenson says, it is
rare for them to do so.
A drawback of FSAs, though not of
HSAs or HRAs, is the participant's need
to " use it or lose it. " Employees need to use
all they have earmarked for their account
by year's end or they forfeit the remains,
Christenson notes. However, employers
may allow a grace period, permitting
employees to use any unspent savings for
new expenses for up to 2 1/2 months into
60 PLANSPONSOR.com August - September 2019 Art by Julien Posture

http://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2019/TrackLink.action?pageName=60&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FPLANSPONSOR.com

PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019

Reality Check
2019 PLANSPONSOR Target-Date Fund Survey
2019 PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey
2019 PLANSPONSOR National Conference
Opportunities Grow
Real Estate Has Been a Haven
Health Savings Strategies
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - C1
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - FC1
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - FC2
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - C2
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 1
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 2
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 3
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 4
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 5
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 6
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 7
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 8
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 9
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 10
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 11
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 12
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 13
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 14
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 15
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 16
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 17
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 18
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 19
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 20
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 21
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 22
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 23
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - Reality Check
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 25
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 26
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 27
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 28
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 29
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 2019 PLANSPONSOR Target-Date Fund Survey
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 31
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 32
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 33
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 34
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 35
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 36
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 37
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 38
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 39
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 2019 PLANSPONSOR Participant Survey
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 41
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 42
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 43
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 44
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 45
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 2019 PLANSPONSOR National Conference
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 47
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 48
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 49
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 50
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 51
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 52
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 53
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 54
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 55
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - Opportunities Grow
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 57
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - Real Estate Has Been a Haven
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 59
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - Health Savings Strategies
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 61
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 62
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 63
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - 64
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - C3
PLANSPONSOR - August/September 2019 - C4
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/may_june_2024
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/march_april_2024
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/january_february_2024
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/november_december_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/september_october_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/july_august_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/may_june_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/march_april_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2022_february_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_november_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august_september_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june_july_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/excellenceawards_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april_may_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february_march_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2021_january_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_november_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august_september_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june_july_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december-january_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december-january_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2018-january_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2017-january_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/november_december_2017
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_2017
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/september_2017
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com