The number of employers contributing to health savings accounts or health reimbursement arrangements continues to grow, with 71% of employees reporting contributions from their employers in 2013, according to a new report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
That number represents the highest level of employers contributing since the 2005 inception of the EBRI/ Greenwald & Associates Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey (CEHCS).
While the study found that the number of employers contributing to HSAs and HRAs has grown, it also found the dollar amount of contributions has declined for some. The percentage of employees with employee-only coverage reporting employee contributions of $1,000 or more slipped from 28% to 23% in 2013.
For employees with family coverage, employer contribution levels were mostly unchanged, however. That trend held true for employee contributions, as well. EBRI found, on average, workers with employee-only coverage dropped their HSA contribution levels last year, but those with family coverage kept contribution levels relatively steady.
According to the study, 11.8 million adults ages 2164, 9.7% of the U.S. population, were enrolled in a plan with an HRA or HSA in 2013. Another 9.3 million reported they were covered by an HSA-eligible plan, but had not yet opened the account. Overall, therefore, the study found about 21 million adults ages 2164 with private insurance, representing 17.3% of that market, were either already in a consumer-driven health plan or covered by an HSA-eligible plan. When their children were included, 26.1 million individuals with private insurance, representing 15% percent of the market, were either in a CDHP or an HSA-eligible plan.
The full report, Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Reimbursement Arrangements and Health Savings Accounts, 20062013, can be found at
