Disqualified for HSA
originally posted: 11/22/2006 reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.
Q: I have a HSA-qualified high deductible health insurance with an additional insurance that covers prescription drugs for a fixed co-payment of $10 for generic drugs or $20 for name brand drugs.
A: Unfortunately, the prescription plan is considered a disqualifying insurance under IRS Revenue Ruling 2004-38. The HSA program requires a high deductible for both regular medical expenses as well as for prescription drugs. This appears to be a design error on the part of whoever developed your employer's health benefit plan. In contrast, some supplemental health insurance policies like www.basichealthinsurance.net do not prohibit policyholders from qualifying for the HSA even though it appears to provide the same type of coverage without a deductible. It can be confusing issue, so the employer should get some qualified help to fix the plan right away. If this is fixed right away, at least half of the tax benefit can be saved for 2006.
Summary
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Freedom Benefits Small Business Benefit Plans