WASHINGTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 6.1 million Americans are covered by Health Savings Account (HSA)-eligible insurance plans, a 35 percent increase since last year, a new census released today by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) found. HSAs were authorized starting in January 2004. Since then, AHIP has conducted a periodic census of its members participating in the HSA plan market.

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"Employers and individuals across the country and across the age spectrum are choosing HSA plans, which are now an important part of the portfolio of coverage options offered by health plans," said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP.

Key findings from the census include:

    --  There was an increase of approximately 1.6 million Americans enrolled in
        an HSA plan since January 2007.  Previous censuses found that 4.5
        million were enrolled in January 2007, 3.2 million were enrolled in
        January 2006, and 1.0 million were enrolled in March 2005.

    --  30 percent of individuals covered by an HSA plan were in the small-group
        market, 45 percent of individuals covered by an HSA plan were in the
        large-group market, and the remaining 25 percent were in the individual
        market.

    --  HSA products accounted for 31 percent of new coverage issued in the
        small-group market. Individual market consumers selected HSA products
        for 27 percent of their new purchases of health insurance.

    --  HSA plan enrollment as a percentage of individuals with private coverage
        is estimated to be the highest in Minnesota (9.2 percent), Louisiana
        (9.0 percent), Washington, D.C. (8.7 percent), Vermont (7.5 percent) and
        Colorado (7.1 percent).

The full 2008 census can be viewed here: http://www.ahipresearch.org/pdfs/2008_HSA_Census.pdf.

Click here to view a PowerPoint on the HSA census: http://www.ahipresearch.org/pdfs/AHIP_HSA08_PPTslides.pdf.

America's Health Insurance Plans - Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans

SOURCE America's Health Insurance Plans

CONTACT: Robert Zirkelbach of America's Health Insurance Plans, +1-202-778-8493