Health Savings Accounts: a tax-sheltered way to pay for quackery

[haele]

9. Well, for the past five years, employer insurance has paid for all sorts of non-standard treatments.

Including therapy supporting "wellness" programs that include supplements and dietary regimes - like Medi-fast, Atkins or South Beach clones (all with their particular supplements); chiropractors, acupuncture, meditation therapy, and home gyms (talk about a scam there!).
Why should HSAs be any different? If the approved doctors in network prescribe a particular "Vegan Immune-booster Testosterone Supplement" because that's what they believe that's the proper placebo for the over-weight, over-worked, over-stressed and running on empty mid-level employee on the plan as opposed to the actual cure to that poor schmoe who's facing destitution if s/he doesn't keep working tasking that used to require three employees, then so be it.
While providing a secure work environment, a reasonable paid vacation benefit with sick days would be better for the employee in the long run, our society is all about making as much money as possible and putting responsibility for work-place and environmental wellness at the simplest, lowest possible factor - the employee.

Corporations and Shareholders would rather all employee get pushed a pill that profit can be made off of, than throwing away a percentage of potential dividends by allowing the employee to be healthier and more productive through the work environment as provided by the employer.

Yes, an HSA is a scam. If proper health care was really a right and available as it is in other countries, Americans who aren't functioning within a low maintenance "normal" range of health wouldn't need to worry about bankruptcy because they can't afford supplemental health insurance or an HSA that a chronic condition or medical emergency might require.

(On Edit) Don't get me wrong. I love my HSA - I have a disabled spouse, and two other dependents, and this "account" has saved me over $2K a year through taxes - and allows me not to balance paying a medical bill or the lot rental or utilities. I know there'll always be money for critical prescriptions and doctor's visits. And it gets a better return than a savings account. But still, I'd rather not have to depend on it, and there are other things I would like to spend the $8K a year I put in it (we average $6500 in out of pocket medical, vision, pharmacy, and dental a year...so it's very important to have the roll-over to pay for the coverage "reset" at the beginning of the next year).

Haele