AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (HSAs) Updated May 2011
May 23, 2011
The following provides you, as an employer, with information about Health Savings Accounts (“HSAs”) under Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) Section 223. You should read this explanation to evaluate whether HSAs may be used either as an alternative to, or in addition to, health flexible spending accounts (“Health FSAs”) under Code Section 125 or Health Reimbursement Arrangements (“HRAs”) under Code Section 105(h).
To fully understand the requirements of these new accounts, the following discusses their terms and compares their advantages and disadvantages over Health FSAs and HRAs in a question and answer format. In addition, a chart comparing both Health FSAs and HRAs with HSAs is included at the end of this explanation.
It is important to remember that this explanation is not intended to serve as a substitute for the advice of your lawyer, accountant, or other personal tax or financial advisor.