Moody’s Investors Service cautions that the increasing number of health savings accounts may present risks for hospitals. Consumers who have HSAs may skimp on their elective medical care, especially preventive services, which may result in declining net patient revenues for community hospitals. The high deductibles that accompany HSAs may also result in patients’ not being able to pay their medical bills, as hospitals have experienced with increasing insurance copays and deductibles. Hospitals will also have to improve their information systems and revenue collection cycles in order to generate invoices and collect from self-pay patients. The Moody’s report, however, says it remains unclear how pervasive HSAs will become. For more information on this report, call 212-553-7814.
