HSA contributions differ by zip code, income, and race

(Photo: Shutterstock)

The never-ending debate on the rising costs of health care comes with a twist, in a recent analysis of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), typically offered with health savings accounts (HSAs), which have quickly become part of every day health care management. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), called “Examining HSAs Through a DEI Lens,” now shows discrepancies in HSA accountholder behavior and attributes between zip codes with disproportionate race and ethnicity composites.

The report finds that accountholders in predominantly White ZIP codes had an average HSA balance of $5,004 compared with an average HAS balance of $3,438 and $3,737 for accountholders living in disproportionately Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, respectively.