Let’s face it, shopping for a health savings account (HSA) provider is an overwhelming process. Most providers can cover the basics and deliver HSAs that may check all your boxes but act more like a supercharged flexible spending account (FSA). 

The industry’s leading providers, however, are collaborating closely with employers to deliver game-changing insights and member enablement capabilities that are transforming how employers and their employees can connect health and wealth.

So, what are these three HSA provider differentiators and what can they mean for employers and their employees?

To those who don’t quite understand how HSA-qualified plans work, a high deductible seems daunting. Many may say that they can’t afford the high-deductible and so they select a traditional plan and pay the significantly higher premiums typically associated with it.

Because HSA-qualified health plans have higher deductibles, the burden of upfront medical costs is more immediately apparent to those who have this type of coverage.  The plans usually have smaller monthly premiums, but the trade-off is more out-of-pocket expenses before insurance kicks in. While at first, this may be perceived as a negative, knowing you’re on the hook for more of your medical bills may actually push you to find smarter ways to put your HSA dollars to work and save.

No one wants to leave free money on the table. That’s why incentivizing employees with an HSA match can be an effective strategy to increase use and satisfaction of an HSA-qualified health plan. To best maximize the value of your matching program, keep the following ideas in mind:

The right HSA provider

Selecting the right HSA provider can be a challenge for employers. Service, features and cost are all factors to evaluate. In this article, we discuss some of the ways HSA providers make money, so you have a better idea of how to determine cost and value for your employees.