The consumer-driven health plans known as health-savings accounts may turn out to be a dud with U.S. consumers. The HSAs, which combine tax-free accounts for healthcare purchases with a high-deductible insurance policy, let participants access a tax-free sum of money to pay for healthcare. Once that sum is exhausted in a year, participants still have some out-of-pocket costs but are covered by a regular health plan for the remainder of the year. HSAs can be set up individually or via an employer. Peter D. Hart Research Associates, a Democratic-oriented firm, says their research indicates most U.S. consumers don’t believe they can make intelligent healthcare purchases on their own, Bizjournals.com reported Wednesday. Consumer-driven healthcare “is not a romantic notion to most people — it’s a scary notion,” said a spokesman for group. © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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