HSA Limits for 2019

Health Saving Accounts and ObamaCare for 2019

We cover everything you need to know about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for 2019, including how HSAs work with health plans under the Affordable Care Act.

TIP: The Affordable Care Act is sometimes called “ObamaCare” or the “ACA” for short. Thus, this page is about HSAs and how they work with ObamaCare / ACA plans. Learn more about the Affordable Care Act.

What Are Health Savings Accounts?

Health savings accounts are tax-advantaged medical savings accounts that you can draw money from for certain medical expenses. They work a bit like a 401k, but money is tax-free in and tax-free out. They are very useful in this respect as they can drop your MAGI (household income after deductions), help you pay fewer taxes, and help you qualify for more assistance.

However, they have some caveats too. Specifically, you can’t pay your premiums with an HSA, and like with a 401k or IRA, you can lose money if you take risky bets so be cautious if you are going to invest your HSA funds.

One last note, to fund an HSA you need to have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) that counts as Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC). So any marketplace plan with a high deductible after cost sharing assistance or any private major medical plan. Employer plans typically need to be paired with employer offered accounts. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, aren’t HSA eligible.

2019 HSA Minimums, Maximums, Contribution Limits, and More

For 2019 a Health Savings Account can be paired with any plan with an annual deductible of more than $1,350 for self-only coverage or $2,700 for family coverage, AKA any High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).^[1][2]

The 2019 HSA chart below shows several figures pertaining to HSAs and health plans.

1. The minimum deductible, which is the minimum deductible your High Deductible Health Plan must have after cost assistance.
2. The maximum out-of-pocket cost.
3. The contribution limit, which is the total you can contribute in 2018 if you are under 55. Those 55 or older can contribute an extra $1,000, and this is shown in the fourth column.

TIP: You have until you file taxes for 2019 to fund your HSA for 2019 health plans (meaning you can fund it all the way up into 2020).

TIP: Some health plans have out-of-pocket maximums that are too high to qualify for HSAs. Not every ACA-compliant plan is HSA-eligible, so make sure you choose an HSA-eligible plan (the plan will be branded as such). For example, some higher end plans have deductibles too low to qualify and some catastrophic plans have deductibles too high to qualify (as the out-of-pocket maximum for HSAs is slightly lower than the maximum in general). Learn more about Maximums for 2019.

HSA Chart for 2019

1. 2019 HSA Limits Rise, IRS Says. Shrm.org.
2. Revenue Procedure 2018-30. IRS.gov. PDF