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HSA Plan Basics

Dont think you have to buy a Health plan with HSA in the Plan name. HSA stands for Health Savings Account. This can be done with any
high deductible plan. Health Insurance companies are charging more to have a HSA attached to your plan. All you have to do is go to a local
bank. Open an account and only use this money for health expenses. This can be anything from aspirin to emergency room charges. Then, all
that money in the account is tax decutible. There is a certain amount you can put in your account per year, but you do not have to use it all the
same year. You can accumulate it your to year and save for a year with higher expenses.

Check the following webwite for the current year allowances

www.hsafinder.com

State of the Union: Affordable and Accessible Health Care (2006)

In His State Of The Union Address, President Bush Proposed A Comprehensive Agenda To Make Health Care In America More Affordable,
Portable, Transparent, And Efficient. Americans enjoy the best health care facilities and medical professionals in the world, but our citizens are
concerned about the cost of health care, losing their health insurance if they change jobs, and a lack of information about price and quality.
The President believes that Americans deserve high-quality, reasonably priced, reliable health care, and the security of knowing they will have
it when they need it.

The President's Reform Agenda Can Make The Health Care System More Efficient While Continuing To Lead The World In Cutting Edge
Medicine. Americans should be able to choose their health care based on individual needs and preferences and easily obtain understandable
information about the price and quality of the care they receive. Insurance should be portable and affordable. The President proposes to
improve health care through initiatives to provide increased stability and peace of mind for working families across the country. The
President's health care agenda includes:

Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Making Health Insurance More Portable
Improving Information On Price And Quality To Make Health Care More Transparent
Leveling The Playing Field For Individuals And Small Business Employees
Passing Medical Liability Reform
Improving Access To Health Information Technology
Assisting Vulnerable Americans
Expanding Health Savings Accounts

HSAs Are Making Health Care More Affordable And Accessible. Established by the Medicare bill signed into law by President Bush in
December 2003, HSAs allow Americans to save tax-free dollars in accounts to pay for their health care expenses. These accounts are
accompanied by high-deductible comprehensive insurance policies that cover preventive care and larger medical bills. Since January 2004,
more than 3 million Americans have enrolled in HSAs, which are helping make health insurance more affordable for individuals and companies
while providing greater choices and flexibility in how workers and employers spend their health care dollars.

The President proposed to build on this success and expand HSAs by:

Giving Individuals That Purchase HSAs On Their Own The Same Tax Advantages As Those With Employer-Sponsored Insurance. The
President proposes making premiums for HSA-compatible insurance policies deductible from income taxes when purchased by individuals
outside of work. In addition, an income tax credit would offset payroll taxes paid on premiums paid for their HSA policies. This will level the
playing field for those who currently do not have access to employer health care plans, including the self-employed, unemployed, and workers
for companies that don�t offer health insurance. For Americans who are not working, especially early retirees, premiums for the purchase of
non-group HSA plans would now be allowed tax-free from an HSA account.

Eliminating All Taxes On Out-Of-Pocket Spending Through HSAs. The President proposed allowing Americans with HSAs and their
employers to make annual contributions to their accounts to cover all out-of-pocket costs under their HSA policy, not just their deductible as
provided under current law. This will allow patients to cover all their out-of-pocket expenses tax-free through their HSA. The new proposal
would also provide a credit for payroll taxes paid on HSA contributions made by individuals. The President's HSA proposals are projected to
increase the number of Americans with HSAs from the currently projected 14 million to 21 million by 2010, a 50-percent rise.
Making Health Insurance More Portable

Americans Should Be Able To Take Their Health Insurance With Them When They Change Jobs, Move, Become Self-Employed, Or Leave
The Labor Force. Americans should not have to worry about changing doctors, learning a new insurance company bureaucracy, having their
premiums go up if a family member is sick, losing their insurance tax advantage when leaving employment-based plans, or being subject to
more costly mandates. The lack of portability can lead to "job lock" in which workers are hesitant to leave their job if anyone in the family is in
less-than-perfect health.

Enabling Portable HSA Insurance Policies. Employers would have the ability to offer workers a Portable HSA insurance policy that the
employees would own, control, and be able to take wherever they went. Their premiums would be tax-free and would not increase based on
their health status at the time that they changed jobs, left the labor force, or moved. Employers could contribute to new employees' Portable
HSA insurance policies � no matter where the policy was originally purchased. Employers would have the ability to decide whether or how
much to contribute to these plans, but whatever they contributed would be tax-free.

The President Supports Permitting The Purchase Of Health Insurance Across State Lines. This would allow Americans to buy the best health
insurance, based on their own circumstances, instead of being limited to only the policies available in their state. Allowing Americans to
purchase health insurance policies issued in other states will provide much-needed choice and competition, while retaining the consumer
protections of enforcement and licensing states currently provide.
Improving Information On Price And Quality To Make Health Care More Transparent

Americans Should Be Able To Easily Obtain Understandable Information About The Price And Quality Of Health Care. The President urges
medical providers and insurance companies to make information about prices and quality readily available to all Americans prior to the time of
service or treatment.

Leveling The Playing Field For Individuals And Small Business Employees

The Administration Will Work To Make It Easier For Small Businesses To Provide Health Care For Their Employees. Small businesses are at a
real disadvantage in providing health benefits for workers. Because they buy coverage for only a handful of workers at a time, small
businesses pay much higher costs than large employers or labor unions for similar health benefits. In part because costs go up over time and
one sick worker can cause a large premium increase, small employers are less than half as likely to offer health benefits to their workers as large
employers.

The President Calls On Congress To Allow Small Businesses To Form Association Health Plans (AHPs). AHPs let small businesses join
together to purchase health coverage, giving them the same advantages, administrative efficiencies, and negotiating clout enjoyed by big
businesses and labor unions. By purchasing coverage for thousands of employees at a time, association members can pay lower premiums for
better coverage.