Group health savings accounts follow preventive rules involving insurance benefits.
Group health savings account (HSA) plans have preventive rules that cover the types of benefits offered. Unlike other insurance plans with higher compensation benefits similar to HSA, HSA plans are linked to high-deductible health plans (HDHP). These group health savings accounts offer American households greater control over available health care expenditures. The plans expand into the growing market, strengthening the economy and the finances of the nation.
Preventive Care Rules
According to Internal Revenue Service rules concerning preventive care, the group health savings account plans can apply to conditions found during the treatment of another disease or the result of a re-occurrence of the disease. The preventive rule can also apply to the drugs and medications used for conditions not clinically diagnosed or discovered until the treatment of another disease. HSA/HDHP insurance providers are cautious to take on prescription drug benefits. The IRS prohibits drugs to be considered preventive if treating an existing illness, injury or condition. It is difficult to prove a drug is used for treatment or for preventive use since it is difficult to prove the status of the condition before treatment. Yet companies have designated some drugs under the preventive benefits plan including prescription drugs for treatment or prevention of illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, coronary artery disease and stroke.
Screenings
Preventive care covers the costs of most screenings including newborn PKU tests, adult blood pressure, colorectal cancer screenings, women's bone mineral testing, prostrate cancer for men aged 50 or older, cholesterol tests, children's vision tests and adult depression and substance-abuse screenings. Immunizations covered under the HSA preventive rules include influenza, tetanus, chicken pox and shingles, human papillomavirus (HPV), and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Maximum Dollar Limits
Group HSA rules consist of no annual dollar limits on services for over half of all HSA/HDHP policies. A quarter of these policies have $500 annual dollar limits. All HSA/HDHP policies are part of a first-dollar coverage plan. Three quarters of the policies do not require any cost sharing for care (co-payments or coinsurance). Enrollees can direct payments of annual income into an HSA if it is not part of the pay for income taxes.
Tags: health savings, preventive rules, account plans, annual dollar, annual dollar limits, another disease, difficult prove
