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Health Savings Account and DH

December 28th, 2005 at 04:37 pm

Well, the new high-deductible health plan at DH's job with the HSA is supposed to go into effect January 1. We've waited and waited, and he never got a form to fill out about how much he wanted to put in the HSA each paycheck. There was one meeting about it in our part of the state, and DH missed it because he called out sick that day. His supervisor said not to worry, because we'd all be getting something in the mail.

Here it is 12/28 and we haven't gotten anything, so I called up to his Human Resources department to ask if we missed getting something. I figured if there was a 12/31 deadline, there'd still be time to get a form and fax it back. I hate making a call like this to his job, but I know from experience he won't do it. He cares so little about health coverage that when he finally started working full-time after three years of part-time, he declined coverage because he "didn't want them taking anything out of his paycheck." I ended up having to continue COBRA coverage from my former job for about $6000 a year until his next open enrollment date. It actually cost us more than that because I had to take money out of an IRA and pay taxes and penalties.

What I found out was, 1) they are NOT mailing anything out to employees, they have to ask if they are interested. 2) The woman who handles it is on vacation til January 3. 3) When I called to try to reach DH at work, I talked to a woman in the local office who said nobody else at their location was going to sign up for it.

I'm feeling stressed and annoyed and unsure of myself all at the same time. Am I wrong in thinking the HSA would be a good thing for us? If so, why is nobody else taking advantage of it? How can I shake some sense into DH's head about the importance of this stuff? Am I being too pushy calling about it myself? Really, I had to call because I know DH wouldn't do it.

Over and over again, I feel like I have to protect myself financially because DH will not do it, and at times has even taken advantage of me. Someday I'll write about that in further depth. Let's just say I'm unexplainably short of cash again after entering my spending in Quicken, and my first thought was that DH has started to "borrow" money from my purse again lately. It might not be the case at all--I've been doing a lot of rushing and not recording things right away. But it takes a long time to build back trust again, and lately several things have happened to remind me he will take a mile if I give an inch.


Posted in Mindset, Health care | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Health Savings Account and DH”

  1. Anonymous Says:
    December 28th, 2005 at 04:49 pm 1135788595
    1135788595

    I don't think you're off-base worrying about this...The health benefits are for both of you, so you have a vested interest in making sure you're properly covered. I wouldn't come to the conclusion that the HSAs are bad because nobody else is using them. Although my knowledge of them is limited, I understand that they're best for people without major health care expenses/problems. Also, they're new, and many people are hesitant to even consider them over more traditional health plans. My hubby also had the same problem with not wanting more taken out of his paycheck (and not really caring much about this stuff). We only started a dependent-care FSA in 2005 (after 3 years of paying for child care!) because of this. I finally just told him I was doing it, told him what the benefits were and went ahead. Fortunately, he works for a large company that has their benefits online. I have access to his account, and can monitor our benefits more closely. If you can do the same, and he agrees, it might be more beneficial for you...

  2. Anonymous Says:
    December 28th, 2005 at 06:41 pm 1135795318
    1135795318

    Just like they said in "All Your Worth" - you need to do what you can to protect yourself regardless of what your significant other does. If you have trust issues with DH and $$, there's even more of a reason to protect yourself. I just finished reading "How to Hide Money from Your Husband" and thought their basic premise was good. The jacket of the book can be taken off and there's no writing on the binding so you can read it in private without your honey thinking you're ready to leave him or something. I picked it up because I thought it was interesting and I liked the basic premise of the book: all women need a nest egg - no matter who they're married to. By calling the insurance folks at DH's work, you were just trying to make sure your bases were covered - I don't think you had a choice in the matter. I'm surprised DH doesn't get it - you know, if you don't want big companies to get your money, than a person really needs to find the best deal on things that are needed - LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE - and find ways to not pay as much out of pocket.
    Good luck to you.

  3. Anonymous Says:
    December 28th, 2005 at 07:58 pm 1135799918
    1135799918

    I read "How to Hide Money From Your Husband" a few years ago and loved it! I did show it to Dh and he laughed, but I do have my own accounts (which he knows about but never questions how much is in them) and we have a joint account, as well. The book has some great ideas, and the main theme of always having some money of your own is excellent. I think everyone should.

  4. Anonymous Says:
    December 28th, 2005 at 09:36 pm 1135805783
    1135805783

    By all means protect your family! Just because some idiot at his job has talked everyone else out of saving themselves some money doesn't mean you shouldn't. Go for it; you know you'll sleep better!

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