The First Dollar Problem: What Employers Need to Know to Make HSAs Work

Nearly a third of employees are now on an HSA-qualified plan. Most employers put money into those accounts, betting that members with their own dollars at stake will shop for care. But few of them do. Only about 4% of HSA enrollees say they shop at all, and spending on HSA plans ends up looking much like spending on PPOs.

In this session, Nick Reber, Garner's founder and CEO, and James Schull, Garner's VP of Product, dig into why. You'll hear why the members who drive more than 90% of spending have little reason to shop once they clear their deductible, how a diligent member who compares physician fees can still end up paying three times more once facility, anesthesia, and biopsy charges arrive, and why the value-driven plan designs built to solve this usually aren't HSA compliant. James then walks through a first-dollar, IRS-compliant approach that ties employer HSA contributions to seeing a top provider, and shares what happened at one employer that adopted it.

If your organization or your clients rely on HSA plans and you've wondered whether they are doing what they were meant to do, this session offers a candid answer and a way to fix it without giving them up.