What are the eligibility requirements for a health savings account?

A qualified individual must be covered by a qualified high-deductible health plan (QHDHP) and may not be covered by other health insurance except for permitted insurance listed under IRS  section 223(c)(3) or insurance for accidents, disability, dental care, vision care, or long-term care.

For calendar year 2017, a qualifying HDHP must have a deductible of at least $1,300 for self-only coverage or $2,600 for family coverage and must limit annual out-of-pocket expenses of the beneficiary to $7,150  for self-only coverage and $14,300 for family coverage. There are no income limits that restrict an individual’s eligibility to contribute to an HSA, nor is there a requirement that the account owner have earned income in order to make a contribution.

Exceptions: An individual is not qualified if he or she can be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return, participates in a health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) or front-end funded health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) that generally disqualifies the individual (and employer) from making contributions to his or her HSA. If the person is covered by Medicare or received Veteran’s benefits in the past 3 months, they are not eligible. However, an individual may qualify to participate in an HSA if he or she is participating in a limited-purpose only FSA, post-deductible HRA, or post-deductible FSA. See IRS publication 969.

Coaches' Takeaway

A qualified individual is at least 18 years of age, not enrolled in Medicare, not covered on any other health insurance plan, hasn’t received veteran benefits in the 3 months prior to enrollment, and is not participating in a healthcare flexible spending account.

Tools & Resources

CDHPCoach’s Storage Facility, where the Coach has organized and compiled a vast amount of tools and resources for you to access.

Library

Housed here are key components and information within the book, Bend the Healthcare Trend which was the impetus behind the CDHPCoach.