Baby Boomers Snatching Up HSAs

SAN DIEGO - Credit unions curious about just who is excited about health savings accounts need not look any further than baby boomers. According to a recent Claritas 2005 Insurance Audit, some 56% of HSA accountholders are between the ages of 40-60 years old. HSAs are tax-free savings accounts that can be used to pay for medical expenses including prescription and over the counter drugs incurred by individuals, spouses or dependents. Unused HSA money rolls over from year to year and can then be used to pay for medical care up to the plan's deductible. Overall, 4.4% of the entire survey household sample of 35,000 said they had a group HSA, but analysts say as HSAs are increasingly offered on a broader scale through corporate group plans those numbers are expected to rise this year. The survey also found the following: * Nearly 40% of households with an HSA are concerned about their long-term care needs, * Nearly 45%of households with HSAs are concerned about earning an income if they become disabled, * Over 50% of households with an HSA are concerned about outliving their retirement savings compared to 44.2% of the total households surveyed. The Insurance Audit survey, which is administered by Integras, Claritas' analytical services division, is designed to generate a national representative sample of United States households' insurance behavior.