Figure Out Health Savings Accounts with People Like You: Eddie

Special Guest Contributor: Justine Burnham

Understanding and selecting health benefits can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). If you’ve ever wanted someone like you to talk about your options with—e.g., a friend who really “knows their stuff”—you’ve come to the right place. This is the first in a series of posts introducing you to people who have had to “get smart” about HSAs and now want to help others do the same.

Today, meet Eduardo (Eddie) Medellin. Eddie, 27, is the oldest of four brothers and often spends time with his family. He works in medical research and enjoys traveling and attending concerts in his free time.

Eddie enrolled in an HSA as soon as he was hired by his current employer. He admits he didn’t know much about his health savings account, other than that his employer contributed to it every year. “I was like, ‘Oh—free money? Where is this coming from? I’ll take it. I’ll use it!’” he laughs.

After further education from his employer, Eddie gained a better understanding of the way an HSA works. He started making monthly contributions and now uses his HSA funds when needed. But because that money carries over each year, he doesn’t feel pressure to spend it all. Additionally, Eddie uses an app on his phone to manage his HSA with ease.

Not every employer offers the same incentives for enrolling in a health savings account, but one thing to learn from Eddie’s story is that asking your employer for more information can greatly increase your ability to navigate your benefits with ease. When it comes to your health and your wealth, there’s no such thing as a bad question.

Eddie loves his HSA to the point where he tells his coworkers to check it out – and even agreed to take time away from his work to join in the conversation we’re hosting via the National HSA Awareness Day livestream on Oct. 15. Along with two other panelists and financial expert Jean Chatzky, Eddie will be sharing more information about how different kinds of people – people like you – use and benefit from health savings accounts.

You can register for the livestream by visiting www.HSAday.com. And if you’ve already realized that HSAs can be super helpful to save and pay for medical expenses, please join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #LoveMyHSA. Together we can help more people get in on the savings!