A boost for HSAs; New rules likely to keep driving enrollments higher.(Payers and Purchasers)(Health Savings Account)

Byline: Jennifer Lubell

The voices of critics of consumer-directed health plans are fading into the background as such plans and their accompanying health savings accounts are enjoying strong growth. And looser federal restrictions on HSAs are likely to send those numbers even higher.

The fact that the government is looking for better options in HSAs is a sign they're here to stay, says Shawn Jenkins, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Benefitfocus, which provides technology for health plans, financial institutions and individuals to help manage HSAs. And there's no doubt it will strengthen the niche market that HSAs already serve, Jenkins says.

However, "It won't be the tipping point to create a mass adoption of HSAs,'' Jenkins says.

Insurers seem to be embracing the movement: Most of the big plans have rolled out their own versions of consumer-driven plans, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield, says Wayne Sensor, CEO of healthcare provider Alegent Health in Omaha, Neb. In the meantime, the trend "is causing the provider community to pause a moment and consider how they want to react,'' he says.

There's good reason for that, as arrangements such as HSAs could put providers in the position to accumulate bad debt, Jenkins says. Providers aren't geared to collect payment from individuals in the same way they can collect from the government or insurers, Jenkins says. A remedy for this is to train the provider community on point-of-sale strategies, …