Marketplace recognition increases and enrollment grows - and it's about time!

We continue to see an increase in news, surveys and reports that consumer driven health plans (CDHPs) and tax-advantaged programs are growing in popularity and enabling more Americans to make better health care decisions. We strongly agree, but this is not new to us at Flexible Benefit Service LLC (Flex).

Since our inception in 1988, we strategically positioned tax-advantaged programs, now known as CDHPs, such as flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for the marketplace. While the industry probably doesn’t recognize the start of CDHPs until the mid-1990s with the adoption of medical savings accounts (MSAs), now known as health savings accounts (HSAs), many employers and health insurance producers have been leveraging these cost-saving concepts for decades, just as Flex has been doing.

Flex has continuously promoted the cost-effective, engaging advantages of FSAs, HSAs and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and it’s somewhat humbling to see these programs referred to as ”innovative” or “new.” We are just glad to see that they have become a part of the mainstream and the marketplace is finally realizing the true power of these programs.

To further recognize these cost-effective programs, Flex recently announced a ten percent savings on FSA or HRA per member per month fees for new plans with effective dates Sept. 1, 2012 through Dec. 1, 2012. We want to make sure these programs are here to stay and assist employers with controlling their health care costs now.

If you want to learn more about CDHPs, you can visit our web site at www.flexiblebenefit.com. You can also contact us directly and we would be glad to assist you with any of your questions about these plans.