货币英语 10 The Benefits of Health Savings Accounts

by Laura Adams

Didn’t think there was a way to take money out of your IRA without having to pay a penalty? In this article I’ll tell you how to do that and give you more great reasons to love a Health Savings¹ Account.
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What is a Health Savings Account?
You may have heard of a Health Savings Account (HSA), but if you’re like many people, you may not know much about them. I wrote post number 84 on Health Savings Accounts about a year and a half ago—but I’m such a big fan of the HSA that I thought it was time to revisit the topic.
Health Savings Accounts were created in 2003 to help you save for future medical expenses on a tax-free basis. That means you don’t have to pay taxes on the money you contribute to an HSA—you get to deduct³ the amounts from your taxable income when you file your income tax return. And less taxable income is always a good thing because it results in a lower tax liability!
You contribute money to an HSA and then you spend the money on medical expenses that aren’t covered by your health insurance, such as your health insurance deductible, dental bills, vision expenses, and over-the-counter medicines. You own the account as an individual, control it completely, and don’t have to itemize deductions⁴ on your income tax return to take advantage of it. Also, there are no minimum or maximum income limits you have to meet to be eligible⁵ to contribute to an HSA.
It’s important to note that an HSA only works in conjunction with a certain kind of health insurance policy called a high deductible health plan (HDHP). So in order to be qualified⁶ to open up an HSA, you have to be enrolled⁷ in a high deductible health plan first.
What is a High Deductible Heath Plan?
Before we get into more details about HSAs, let’s discuss what makes a health policy a high deductible plan in the first place. A high deductible health plan is simply a heath insurance policy that has a high deductible. A deductible is the amount you have to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in and starts to pay expenses for you. The higher the deductible, the lower your monthly insurance premiums⁸ will be. That can make high deductible plans more affordable⁹, depending on your health needs.
Many employers are moving from traditional health policies to high deductible plans to cut their costs. So it’s possible that you might have a high-deductible plan, but not be fully¹⁰ aware of the HSA benefits that go along with it. Here are the requirements for a health insurance policy to be considered a high deductible plan for 2010:
The annual deductible must be at least $1,200 for an individual policy or $2,400 for a family policy.
The annual cap for out-of-pocket expenses can’t exceed $5,950 for an individual policy or $11,900 for a family policy.
You qualify for an HSA whether you pay for a high deductible plan on your own or through work.
How Much Can You Contribute to an Health Savings Account?
The annual contribution you can make to a Health Savings Account in 2010 is up to $3,050 for an individual policy or up to $6,150 for a family policy. Contributions can be made up to April 15th following the tax year. So to make contributions for 2010, you have until April 15th of 2011. If you’re 55 or older, you can save an additional $1,000 per year whether you have an individual or family plan. These amounts are indexed annually¹¹ for inflation, so check hsacenter.com for up-to-date information in future years.
Your eligibility¹² to contribute to an HSA starts as soon as your high deductible health plan coverage¹³ begins. As long as you’re covered by December 1st, you’re eligible to contribute the maximum amount for the tax year. However, any medical expenses that you incur¹⁴ before the date you establish your HSA can’t be reimbursed¹⁵ from the account.
How to Fund an HSA with an IRA
You may be thinking that having an HSA sounds great, but where would you get the extra money to fund it? That brings me to one of the HSA’s best features: You can make a once-in-a-lifetime transfer from your IRA to fund an HSA without paying an early withdrawal¹⁶ penalty! That’s how I opened my HSA years ago and I’ve never regretted it.
What Happens To Unused HSA Funds?
After you fund an HSA, what happens to the money if you don’t spend it? The answer is, absolutely nothing. That’s right; your HSA balance simply rolls over from year to year. There’s no time limit to spend the money, nor do you have to spend a dime¹⁷ from your HSA if you don’t want to. Even if you cancel your high deductible health plan, you can still use the money in your HSA indefinitely to pay for medical expenses tax-free. However, you won’t be eligible to contribute additional money to an HSA if you’re not insured by a high deductible plan.
If you still have funds in an HSA after you turn 65 it morphs into something very similar to a retirement¹⁸ account. You can use the money for non-medical expenses without penalty (but you still have to pay ordinary income tax on those amounts). Be aware that if you’re under the age of 65 and use HSA funds for anything other than qualified medical expenses you have to pay income tax plus a 10% penalty on the amount.

In a few weeks, I’ll give you even more reasons to love an HSA, and explain how it will be affected¹⁹ by healthcare reform. I’ll tell you exactly how to set one up and how I manage mine. You’ll discover the surprising variety of products and services that are considered qualified medical expenses—like my fancy new prescription²⁰ sunglasses!
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1 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

2 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

3 deduct   

vt.扣除，减去

参考例句：

• You can deduct the twenty - five cents out of my allowance.你可在我的零用钱里扣去二角五分钱。
• On condition of your signing this contract,I will deduct a percentage.如果你在这份合同上签字，我就会给你减免一个百分比。

4 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

12 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

13 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

14 incur   

vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇

参考例句：

• Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。
• An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。

15 reimbursed   

v.偿还，付还( reimburse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the firm's business will be reimbursed. 由公司业务产生的开销都可以报销。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate. 员工调往异地工作时，他们可以报销由此产生的所有法律服务费用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

17 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

18 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

19 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

20 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。