Monday, July 18, 2005
HSAs push health care into the electronic age
[Jennifer A. Kingson, "Health Care at the Swipe of a Card," The New York Times, 16 July 2005.]
The New York Times reports in this article on the trend toward making consumer-driven health care more consumer-friendly:
The paper-pushing method of paying medical bills, which has long been fairly resistant to the electronic age, is about to be challenged as new payment options like health savings accounts and prepaid medical cards gain wider acceptance in the workplace.
Beyond their practical aspects, these products - and health savings accounts in particular - represent a philosophical shift toward consumer-directed health care, with people taking a more active role in supervising their medical treatments and benefits.
Some employers have begun offering medical prepaid payment cards linked to flexible spending accounts. Instead of having to fill out a reimbursement form to cover eligible expenses, account holders can use a MasterCard or Visa card to pay a drugstore, doctor or other provider directly.
Since the card will work only for expenses that are authorized under the cardholder's flexible spending account plan - which typically include things like eyeglasses, child care and prescription drug co-payments - there is never a question of whether the outlay is covered.
[William C. Short, "HSAs Treat Ills of Health Care Payment System," The Flint Hills Center, 25 March 2005.]
[Jennifer A. Kingson, "Health Care at the Swipe of a Card," The New York Times, 16 July 2005.]
The New York Times reports in this article on the trend toward making consumer-driven health care more consumer-friendly:
The paper-pushing method of paying medical bills, which has long been fairly resistant to the electronic age, is about to be challenged as new payment options like health savings accounts and prepaid medical cards gain wider acceptance in the workplace.
Beyond their practical aspects, these products - and health savings accounts in particular - represent a philosophical shift toward consumer-directed health care, with people taking a more active role in supervising their medical treatments and benefits.
Some employers have begun offering medical prepaid payment cards linked to flexible spending accounts. Instead of having to fill out a reimbursement form to cover eligible expenses, account holders can use a MasterCard or Visa card to pay a drugstore, doctor or other provider directly.
Since the card will work only for expenses that are authorized under the cardholder's flexible spending account plan - which typically include things like eyeglasses, child care and prescription drug co-payments - there is never a question of whether the outlay is covered.
[William C. Short, "HSAs Treat Ills of Health Care Payment System," The Flint Hills Center, 25 March 2005.]
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