Who is Eligible for an HSA

  • State employees, except those who are eligible for the graduate assistant/short term academic staff benefits package and are not in the Wisconsin Retirement System.

  • Limited Term Employees (LTEs) who are eligible for the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program are eligible to participate.

  • Retirees1 younger than age 65 are eligible to participate.
  • To enroll in an HSA, you must be enrolled in one of the High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). In addition:

    • You cannot have any other health coverage that pays for out-of-pocket health care expenses before you meet your plan deductible, including Medicare A and B.

    • You cannot be covered by TRICARE, or have accessed your Veterans Administration (VA) benefits in the past 90 days (to contribute to an HSA). Exceptions may apply.

    • You cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return (unless it’s your spouse).

    • You (and your spouse) cannot have a Health Care FSA in the same year.

    • Note: You must notify your human resources/benefits office of any other medical coverage, including Medicare A and B, when enrolling in, and at any point while enrolled in, the HDHP and HSA.

1Employees that terminate employment but keep their HSA open and active with Optum Financial will pay a monthly administrative service fee of $1.32. Retirees enrolled in the HDHP/HSA benefit option are not required to pay the monthly administrative fee.

Remaining HSA Eligible Past Age 65

In order to be able to contribute to an HSA past age 65, you cannot enroll in Medicare.

  • You become enrolled in Medicare under Part A by filing an application or being approved automatically.

  • The Social Security Administration automatically enrolls you in Medicare Part A when you begin collecting Social Security benefits.

  • Some individuals are able to avoid enrolling in Medicare by waiting to receive Social Security.

If you are not enrolled in Medicare and are otherwise HSA eligible, you can contribute to an HSA after age 65.

Retirees enrolled in the HDHP/HSA benefit option are not required to pay the monthly administrative fee.