>No idea what a HSA account is, I guess some form of pension plan?
I think the OP meant Health Savings Account, which lets you put money in pre-tax for certain medical expenditures. There is a limit and IIRC you lose what you don't spend. It's good if you have predictable costs, or you're saving to do an expensive procedure (friends have done this for lasik), etc. You pay the bill then submit a receipt to get reimbursed out of the account.
In the US these are now termed Flexible Spending Accounts, with subcategories of Health, Dependent Care, etc.
No, FSA and HSA are similar but different. They both exist, the use-it-or-lose it variety you're talking about is called an FSA. HSAs, on the other hand, can carry over year to year, and doubles as a source of income in retirement.
The downside is you must have high deductible plan to contribute to an HSA -- the idea is that you put aside enough money to cover the high deductible just in case, but are now motivated to price comparison shop for MRIs and whatnot, since any unspent money is now yours to keep.
I think the OP meant Health Savings Account, which lets you put money in pre-tax for certain medical expenditures. There is a limit and IIRC you lose what you don't spend. It's good if you have predictable costs, or you're saving to do an expensive procedure (friends have done this for lasik), etc. You pay the bill then submit a receipt to get reimbursed out of the account.
In the US these are now termed Flexible Spending Accounts, with subcategories of Health, Dependent Care, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_spending_account
It helps, but certainly a different attitude towards social safety nets, defense spending, etc would make a larger difference.