Blog
Can Consumers Truly Shop for Health Care?
The consumer-driven health care concept isn’t new. It’s been around for over a decade when a handful of businesses started offering their employees health plans with low premiums, high-deductibles and tax-exempt savings accounts. There has been steady adoption of this consumer-driven health care model ever since. One of the ideas behind the initiative was —…
Read MoreWhat is the HSA Triple Tax Benefit?
Triple tax benefit. Employees have likely heard it before. However, when it comes to health savings accounts (HSAs), do employees really understand what these three words mean to them? The unique benefits of an HSAs triple tax advantage can seem complicated but when communicated in plain language, understanding is greatly increased. At Further, we aim…
Read MoreUsing an HSA with Kids Over 18 Years Old
When a child turns 18, there are a lot of changes that begin to take place. He or she may be heading off to college soon or starting their first job. When it comes to health insurance, it is easy for young adults to stay in the dark about coverage, cost, and benefits. Under the…
Read MoreFSA Contribution Limits Increase for 2020
For 2020, the IRS increased the new 2020 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) limit to $2,750. For groups that have already set their contribution limits to the 2019 amount of $2,700, Further will automatically update the amount to the 2020 limit of $2,750, unless notified otherwise within the next 30 days. A medical FSA is a…
Read MoreYear-End Benefits Snafus and How to Avoid Them
As the end of the year nears, employees may have Flexible Spending Account (FSA) dollars that need to be spent. They may need to schedule last-minute appointments to fit in before the new year or begin planning their new year appointments. With the end of the benefits year, below are three common benefits snafus and…
Read More5 Tips to Increase Employee HSA Adoption
As employer-offered high deductible health plans (HDHPs) continue to become more widely offered and additional health care premium costs are being shifted to members, there seems to be a perception among employees that you can no longer have a quality health care plan that is also affordable. Employees perceive that you need to compromise one…
Read MoreThe Power of Language – Transforming the Health Care Industry for Consumers
Have you ever experienced sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia? Or diaphragmatic flutter? What about borborgymi? You have. We all have. These are the official medical terms for an ice cream headache, hiccup, and getting dizzy from standing up, respectively. If we all know these occurrences by their common name, why do they need fancy medical terms? Are there…
Read MorePairing an HSA with a Limited Purpose FSA
When it comes to health care spending options, there are many possibilities employers can offer. Whether it is a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA), both are great spending tools for employees with consumer-directed health plans that can be used for health care expenses. However, while many groups offer an HSA paired…
Read MoreThe Further Learning Center: An Invaluable Resource for Brokers
The team at Further understands health care finance is complicated. That’s why we’ve put an emphasis on education for our partners and members. The more people understand about how their health care spending accounts work, the more confident they’ll be in their decisions—and with more confidence comes better, easier decisions. One of our best educational…
Read MoreTransparency Puts the Consumer Back into Health Care Consumerism
While many in the health care industry continue to look for ways to reduce patient costs, the statistics still tell a different story. Health care consumers are forced to deal with cost ranges unlike anything they encounter when purchasing other goods and services. And most often, they’re making decisions without adequate information. Take mammograms or vasectomies, for…
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