TIAA to Offer Health Savings Accounts to Institutional Clients

Originally published on TIAA.org.

With rising health care costs and longer life expectancies, plan sponsors are increasingly looking to help employees save for their retirement medical expenses

New TIAA HSA to help employees prepare for health care expenses aligned with their retirement goals

TIAA, a leading financial services provider, today announced that it will offer a Health Savings Account (HSA) to its institutional retirement plan clients to help their participants prepare for health care expenses now and in retirement. The TIAA HSA will be administered by HealthEquity, Inc. (NASDAQ: HQY) (“HealthEquity”) and will work in concert with TIAA retirement plans. The TIAA HSA will be available in the first quarter to all institutional clients that offer employees a high-deductible health plan (HDHP).

Preparing for rising health care costs is a significant financial concern for employers and individuals. TIAA research finds that more than 90 percent of plan sponsors say that rising health care costs are a significant concern for retirement security1. In addition, the majority of Americans (77 percent) TIAA surveyed said they are concerned about retirement health care costs2. This concern is supported by a report from Employee Benefit Research Institute3, which found that a 65-year-old couple today needs approximately $301,000 to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses in retirement.
“Health care expenses are increasingly connected to an individual’s ability to retire and maintain a good standard of living throughout their lives,” said Lori Dickerson Fouché, CEO of TIAA Financial Solutions. “Offering the TIAA HSA is a part of our deep commitment to finding new and better ways to help our clients address their financial needs to and through retirement.”
Through this relationship with HealthEquity, plan sponsors and their employees will have access to a compelling HSA offer that complements TIAA’s industry-leading guaranteed* lifetime income retirement solutions. This combination, delivered through a cohesive experience, helps meet end-to-end retirement needs and contributes to participants’ peace of mind.
“As individual life spans increase, so does the potential cost of medical care in retirement. As a result, it makes perfect sense that more plan sponsors are looking at ways to help their employees take advantage of savings opportunities that help them prepare for retirement health expenses,” continued Fouché. “By providing employees a one-stop-shop experience, we believe employees are more likely to take positive steps towards financial security.”

The TIAA HSA leverages TIAA’s strength as a financial services leader in the nonprofit retirement market and HealthEquity’s status as one of the nation’s top HSA providers. The TIAA HSA will  include a diversified** series of TIAA-CREF and Nuveen mutual fund investments in an integrated TIAA online and mobile view for a simplified client experience. To help employees maximize their savings, the TIAA HSA will offer participants comprehensive tools and education resources including a plan comparison tool, an HSA contribution calculator, and a future balance calculator.

“We’re committed to helping plan sponsors meet the evolving financial needs of their employees. The TIAA HSA will enable plan participants to save for health care expenses with a simple, straightforward option that works in concert with their retirement savings plan,” said Timothy Lane, Senior Managing Director of TIAA Health Solutions. “A growing number of employers and employees recognize the favorable tax treatment*** of an HSA as a powerful long-term investment vehicle that can grow over time to fund health expenses in retirement.”
HSAs can help people prepare for and cover the cost of health care expenses because they provide triple tax-free savings4 for employees who participate in a HSA-qualified HDHP. Unspent balances carry over from year to year and can be invested for longer-term growth, building up savings over time similar to a retirement savings plan. For employers, more of whom are offering a HDHP to their employees,5 the combination of a HDHP and an HSA provides tax and healthcare premium savings, which can fund employer contributions to the HSA or other retirement benefits.
“Together with TIAA, we are helping Americans connect their health and wealth along their retirement savings journey,” said Ted Bloomberg, Chief Operating Officer of HealthEquity. “The TIAA HSA will allow consumers to save and spend their health care dollars more efficiently and HealthEquity is ready to serve TIAA HSA members with our 24/7 education and support.”

TIAA was founded over a century ago to serve higher education institutions and has grown to become the leading provider of retirement services in the nonprofit market

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