Conference focuses on new type of insurance plan

SEIU’s Minnesota State Council is sponsoring a free conference on health savings accounts, a new type of insurance that critics say further shifts costs onto workers.

HSAs, as they are known, allow workers and employers to set aside money in a tax-free account to cover qualified medical expenses. Workers can contribute up to $2,650 a year for individual coverage, and $5,250 a year for family coverage; unused amounts can be carried into future years.

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However, HSAs are allowed only if a worker enrolls in a high-deductible insurance plan. On top of their HSA cost, workers must pay deductibles of at least $1,000 for individual coverage and $2,000 for family coverage. Critics say HSAs work only for those who don?t need health care, and drive up health costs for those who actually use insurance.

Further, there is no requirement that employers pay anything into an HSA, yet budget proposals by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and President George W. Bush give tax breaks to companies that offer them.

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SEIU’s conference, titled “Hazardous Health Care,” takes place June 27 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the Lakes and Plains Regional Council of Carpenters hall, 710 Olive St.

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To register, contact Katherine Blauvelt at 651-203-0401 ext. 9, or by email at kblauvelt@seiumn.org

Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org

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