Open Enrollment Season, and Paying for Primary Care with HSA

It’s October, which is a big month in the world of health plans. This is the month that most employers start Open Enrollment (OE), the time when employees choose their benefits for the coming year. It’s also the time when Medicare enrollees can change their health plans.

This year, Congress passed rules making it clear that Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can be used to pay for Direct Primary Care practices like Nexus. To qualify, the doctor can charge no more than $150/month for a membership, which happens to be exactly what the Nexus standard rate is, and that’s before discounts.

How do HSAs work? 

You can contribute pre-tax money to an HSA up to an annual limit of $4,400 (or $8,750 for a family). 

Then you can pay for medical expenses from that HSA plan. 

Paying for a Direct Primary Care membership is one way you can spend some of that money. It’s like getting a 30-40% discount on your membership, since you didn’t have to pay taxes on the money being used to pay for it.

Overall Benefits of HSA + DPC

Combining an HSA-funded DPC subscription with a high deductible health plan is a great way to save dollars overall on your health care next year. You will pay less in premiums, and you’ll get much better service from your PCP (me!)

Since I answer my own calls, you can ask questions that will keep you out of the ER or urgent care. You’ll never have to wait weeks for an appointment. And since the office visits are longer, we can spend time managing your conditions and make it less likely that you’ll need expensive specialist visits or tests.

I’d also suggest you avoid an HMO plan that restricts who you can see for your healthcare (including some Medicare Advantage plans). Such plans are usually a big pain for the patients who have them. These plans have restricted networks and require referrals to see specialists or get tests. That means you can’t choose your specialist on your own, and access to some of the best doctors is heavily restricted.

In short, this is the best chance in years to change up the way you are getting your health coverage. 

The HSA + DPC combo will be a big upgrade to your healthcare experience, and it’s cheaper, too. How often does that happen?

If you have more questions or would like to get started with Nexus, simply fill out our interest form. We’ll be in touch shortly by text or email to get you scheduled for an introductory visit or to bring you on as a new patient.

Happy Open Enrollment season!