There are still a number of people who are lucky enough to have one of these accounts and most are provided via employers.  Not too long ago I wrote about judges needing to be aware of how companies change today so they can be up to date on where they invest and the United Healthcare Bank that holds over 1 Billion in Health Savings Accounts might be a good example as years ago insurers did not own their own bank. 

Health insurers reinvent themselves as money managers – Banksimage
UnitedHealth Group Owns a Bank With Deposits Surpassing a Billion – OptumHealth Bank FDIC Insured

I mention this fact for those judges who do have investments in this company and with the new upcoming rules on Health Savings Accounts and what they can be used for, well we just might see some legal challenges on this so if one is a judge with investments as such, be aware as your dividend interest could be a conflict of interest – I call this subsidiary watch at the Medical Quack for awareness as all consumers including leaders should read up if they invest.  Wells Fargo also was in the news a couple months ago about boosting up their offerings with Health Savings Accounts. 

3 Judges in Health-Care Lawsuits Caught Up In Potential Conflict of Interest-It’s Called Subsidiary Watch-Be Aware of Your Investments With Mergers and Acquisitions

The article states this does not apply to insulin or some medical devices such as crutches but if you want to spend your HSA  money on Tylenol, Zyrtec or Prilosec which have gone from prescription to over the counter, it will now come out of your own pocket. 

I wonder how this is going to work when those with Health Savings Accounts start asking their doctors for prescriptions for Tylenol and the likes?  I think we will perhaps see some unintended consequences here and am not sure predictive algorithmic modeling could have suggested this as an outcome.  BD

Next year will change how millions of Americans pay for medicines from Prilosec to Tylenol, a result of an obscure provision in the health-care reform law.

Starting Saturday, patients can't use money collected in flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts to pay for over-the-counter drugs. Instead, they must have a doctor's prescription or pay for them outright.

The accounts allow users to collect money before taxes then use it for qualified medical expenses, often using a pre-paid debit card. In most flexible spending accounts, unused money at the end of the year is lost, while health savings accounts generally carry over from year to year.

Payment for over-the-counter medication changing | portclintonnewsherald.com | Port Clinton News Herald

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