Blog Entries tagged 'HSA'

What's The Difference Between A Hippo and HIPPA?

shades — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:00:00 +0100

My son has this flattened stuffed hippo called Flatso, who has been a close family friend for many years. As an aside, I wonder if the phrase "creature comfort" is derived from these affections we had for these stuffed critters when we were kids.

When my son was three years old, we were eating dinner at Col Poole's Bar-B-Que joint up in the Georgia hills on our way home from a weekend in North Carolina. Poole's is famous for four things; Pig Hill, politician [...]

Who Is Regina Herzlinger?

shades — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

For starters, she speaks our language. And that is the language of Consumer Driven Healthcare. A brief expose' of her positions are outlined in the December 22 edition of Business Week and worth a read. If time is tight, keep reading below for a summary and maybe even a few thoughts of our own (maybe).

Regina Herzlinger is a professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and she advocates neither government nor employer based healthcare. [...]

And The Best Medicine Is.......

shades — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUL0KCIc48 425x355]

Happy and Blessed Holidays From the Folks at HSAeducator.com

....and don't forget to open your HSA before 12/31 and fund it before 4/15/09 to take be able to take the tax deduction.

Why is Healthcare So Friggin' Expensive? Reason # 11

shades — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Last month we posted an article that hit on the "Unscientific Top Ten Reasons Why Healthcare is So Expensive." Today we are here to offer you unscientific reason #11.

The U.S. Government doesn't trust you any further than they can throw you.

HDHPs and HSAs, by nature should save you money over traditional health insurance. BUT, the Government in all its wisdom/paranoia does what they can to undermine their efficiencies.

In this case, they passed some leg [...]

Which Bank Should I Select For My HSA Deposits?

shades — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

This is a good question and varies based on your specific needs, which, by the way will change as you accumulate money into your HSA account.

If you would like to start a discussion on this topic, we invite you to start a thread on the HSAeducator Forum, you can click here to get there and start a conversation based on your own needs. You will need to register on this site to participate, but it only takes a few seconds, and you are already here.

As an alternative, if [...]

A Soulful And Healthy HSA Christmas

shades — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

From time to time here at the Gradock Bulletin we try to keep things real with a little JB. The Godfather left us two years ago this month. Inspite of his challenges and struggles he left us with much good cheer and some incredible inspiration to "Get Up Off That Thing."

At this time of year, as you may be pondering with some stress, your benefits enrollment, entering the world of high deductible health plans and health savings accounts, we'd like to suggest that you [...]

(Health Savings Account) HSA Rules 2009

shades — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Now there's a seemingly dry topic for an article on HSAs but guess what? It is one of the top keyword searches driving individuals to this site.

And since we are all about HSA education, it seems only fitting that if you blasted through cyberspace and somehow landed on this page reading this article, and this sentence specifically, it seems only fair that we get you to a place that can get your question answered. If you will click right here you will be shot through cybe [...]

So What's Going On In E-Health?

shades — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

If you have read the last two postings ("What the Heck is E-Health" and "E-Health and Health Savings Accounts") you know what e-health is. Now the question is, where is it going?

There's a good article in the December 8th edition of Business Week on E-Health. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Wal-Mart (who began offering Health Savings Accounts in 2006 as a means to provide health benefits to its 1MM+ employees) will offer its 1MM benefits eligib [...]

E-Health And Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

shades — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

If you read the last article in the Gradock Bulletin or if you're already well informed you know what the concept of "e-health" is (and if you didn't read it, it is right below this article). You might even be asking yourself what's in it for you? And more specifically, how does it relate to CDH, HSAs and HDHPs?

Good question.

Imagine if you had a secure place where you could input basic health information about yourself and your family that [...]

How The Pinch Stole Healthcare.

shades — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Every Blue down in Blueville liked Healthcare a lot...

But the Pinch, who lived to the left of Healthcare did NOT!

The Pinch hated Healthcare, the whole Healthcare system!

Just don't ask why, only he had the wisdom.

It could be his head was screwed on to the left,

It could be his ears were plugged up and deaf.

But I think the most likely reason of all,

Was that he thought the Blues brains were much much too small.

But whatever t [...]

Goodbye Joe the Plumber. Hello Dan the Street Super.

shades — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Dan Crowell represents the changing face of health and healthcare in America. Dan is the street superintendent for the city of Lafayette, Indiana. Now I don't know Dan but I read about him JConline.com, the online edition of the Journal Courier Newspapers of Lafayette and West Lafayette Indiana.

Both cities, faced with ever rising healthcare costs have joined together to save money on health insurance and to promote healthier employees. One of the keys to their st [...]

Can't Get Enough Of That Wonderful HSA Stuff?

shades — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0100

So if you are reading this article there's a decent chance you are actually interested in learning about Health Savings Accounts or maybe taking control of your healthcare, or maybe taking control of your health. Or then again, maybe you are looking for some information on the Haiku Society of America or perhaps the Handicap Scuba Association. If the latter two, sorry, but you are hopelessly lost.

If you are an HSA wonk or someone just wanting to learn more, there is all kinds [...]

An HSA Tax Tip

shades — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0100

You are new to the world of High Deductible Health Plans, and your new plan is HSA eligible, or perhaps you have an HSA but haven't had the time to open a corresponding Health Savings Account. Or you opened an HSA but have put no money in it this year. With Christmas, Hanukkah and the general holiday season upon us, you are light on cash and thinking maybe you'll hold back on that contribution to your HSA.

You know in your mind that your healthcare [...]

Reading The Tea Leaves Of Obama's Healthcare Reform

shades — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0100

One thing everyone agreed on regarding the Obama presidential campaign was that he picked his messages and stuck to them. And one of the ones that stuck to me, in fact, with all the media coverage I felt like it was nailed to me with a hammer and sixteen penny nails, was the notion that if you liked the health plan your employer offered you could keep it, but if you didn't you could have the same insurance federal employees enjoy. And for employers if they didn't [...]

Politically Speaking, Is There A Middle Ground In Healthcare?

shades — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Ron Klar, a guy way smarter than me when it comes to healthcare, the healthcare debate and fixing the problems related to our Nation's ills, wrote a terrific article just before the election entitled, AmericarePlans: A McCain-Obama Hybrid Proposal posted on Health Affairs, The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere. Being the last guy on the grape vine, it took awhile for me to intersect with his article.

I'm not going to regurgitate the article here as it is much bett [...]

It's Open Enrollment Season Out There. Are You the Hunter Or The Hunted?

shades — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:00:00 +0100

If you are one of those folks who dreads the open enrollment period for your health benefits, who puts their heads inside of their shell and basically runs and hides, I'm sorry to say, you are the hunted. If you simply sign up for whatever you had last year (but likely at a higher price, and possibly with reduced benefits) without doing your homework, you are the hunted. If you haven't figured out things like HSAs, HRAs, or FSAs, then you are the hunted. If you simpl [...]

Another $17 in My Health Savings Account (HSA) or is that My Hair Savings Account?

shades — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:00:00 +0100

When I was a kid, up until the age of about eleven, my Grandmother used to conduct Doctor Jekyl-like experiments on my hair with her handy scissors. I was a total toe head and when she was done they could have slapped me on the side of a paint can and called me the Little Dutch Boy.

I revolted at eleven and began a 30 plus year quest to find the perfect barber. Recently though, in my quest to save more money into my health savings account I decided to give Betty, my barber, [...]

Why Is Healthcare So Expensive? The Unscientific Top Ten Reasons Why.

shades — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:00:00 +0100

I have an HDHP. When I go to the Doctor to have them look at the creatures crawling around in my throat, causing me to itch all over, or making my hair fall out in clumps, I am expected to pick up the full tab until I hit my deductible. I even have a little stash of money, called an HSA to pay for it. BUT, I don't pay a nickel when the Doctor is done with me. Not immediately.

The Doctor has to put in a claim to my insurance company, the insurance company tell [...]

Health Savings Account (HSA) Mindset And Chinese Fortune Cookies

shades — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:00:00 +0100

"A Thrifty Man Is A Free Man" Advice from my fortune cookie March 1982

Good advice during these strange and troubling economic times. Good advice anytime and way cheaper than a fortune teller (unless of course, the fortune teller is your crazy aunt Zelda).

The October 20th edition of Business Week offered up a timely article entitled, "The New Age of Frugality" by Steve Hamm. It discusses the tightening of spending by Americans with our contra [...]

That Health Savings Account (HSA) You Hooked Is One Big Fish

shades — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:00:00 +0100

You've just been enrolled in an HSA for the first time huh? You might feel like you just hooked a big nasty line pulling pike. That sucker is and bad and feels like he's pulling you all over the place. How in the world are you going to deal with it?

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKXjqsXj44Y 425x355]

If you have the right gear to reel it in, and maybe a cold Budweiser, you might just get him in the boat. Except for the chilly beer, that's [...]