Direct primary care models (DPC) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs) offer, among other things, cost-savings to employers and their participants. And, while pairing the two could be a dynamic duo, adding an HSA component is generally not a good idea.
Unless structured where participants pay fair market value for non-preventive care services (as defined by the IRS) prior to satisfying the statutory minimum deductible, the HDHP is not HSA-compatible.
And, let’s face it…why fret on designing a plan that is theoretically HSA-compatible if the employer isn’t contributing to the HSA in a meaningful way, the employees don’t understand the long-term potential of the HSA, and - perhaps most importantly - the participants sacrifice their health in the short-term because they can’t afford the FMV / “self-pay” costs of getting care.
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