HSAs Available To Medical Association Members

California Medical Association officials recently announced an agreement with UMB Healthcare Services to provide health savings accounts to physician members, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

CMA spokesperson Karen Nikos said it is unknown how many of the group's 35,000 members will enroll in HSAs.

In addition, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which includes Blue Shield of California and Blue Cross of California, is expected to open its Blue Healthcare Bank in early 2007 to support HSAs offered by insurers and other consumer-driven health insurance products.

Citing data reported by the newsletter Inside Consumer-Directed Care, the Business Times reports that HSAs are "gaining some ground, at long last," as U.S. residents have collectively saved nearly $1 billion in so-called "tax advantaged" plans (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 3/17).