THE CASE FOR MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

The debate about health care reform has centered around managed care a nd its ramifications. Medical savings accounts (MSAs), on the other ha nd, have been relegated to the background of the congressional discuss ion of health care reform. Conservative Republicans have advocated MSA s, whereas they have been denigrated by many liberals. The Clinton adm inistration has threatened to veto any legislation that includes MSA p rovisions. I believe that MSAs are in general poorly understood by phy sicians and deserve closer attention. This article will explain what M SAs are and how they work. The advantages of MSAs will be discussed an d examples of MSAs in action will be provided.