21 Nov Dec. Webinar: Health Savings Accounts

Health Savings Accounts:
Employer Rights and Responsibilities
Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011 – 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT

As consumer-directed health plans continue to grow in popularity, employers need to understand their options in this area. One of those options is to offer their employees a health savings account (HSA), in combination with a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). Although HSAs carry certain advantages, they are not for everyone (or for every employer). In this webinar, we’ll examine the advantages and disadvantages of an HSA/HDHP combination.

Among the topics we’ll explore are the following:

The special treatment of HSAs under both the Tax Code and ERISA
The Tax Code’s “comparability” rules for employer HSA contributions
The types of health coverage that will preclude an employee from making pre-tax HSA contributions
Comparisons to other types of consumer-directed health plans (such as HRAs and FSAs)
The effect of health care reform on HSAs
Steps employers can take to simplify the administrative burdens associated with HSAs.
Finally, we’ll present recent survey data on the extent to which employers (and their employees) are (or are not) jumping on the HSA bandwagon.

PRESENTERS
Kenneth A. Mason, Partner – Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
Ken heads the Employee Benefits Group. He concentrates on ERISA and other aspects of employee benefits law, including tax and fiduciary issues, retirement and welfare plans, executive deferred compensation, federal employment discrimination statutes and issues unique to governmental and other tax-exempt employers.

Chadron J. Patton, Associate – Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
Chadron is a member of Spencer Fane’s Employee Benefits Group. Chadron received his juris doctor from University of Kansas School of Law, where he completed the Tax Law and Business and Commercial Law certificate programs.

This series is brought to you by your Member Firm of United Benefit Advisors – a member-owned alliance of more than 140 premier independent benefit advisory firms and one of the nation’s five largest employee benefits advisory organizations – and Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, with offices throughout the Midwest and more than a century of experience providing legal counsel.