Former White House health policy advisor Roy Ramthun has announced what he estimates will be the limits for deductibles, out-of-pocket exposure, and health savings account (HSA) contribution limits for 2008:

	2007 Amount	Est. 2008 Amount
Self-only coverage
Minimum deductible	$1,100	$1,100
Maximum HSA contribution	$2,850	$2,900
Out-of-pocket maximum	$5,500	$5,600
Family coverage
Minimum deductible	$2,200	$2,200
Maximum HSA contribution	$5,650	$5,800
Out-of-pocket maximum	$11,000	$11,200

Ramthun, who is the president of HSA Consulting Services, LLC, writes:

We now know all the data points to calculate the 2008 numbers for HSAs. This will give everyone offering an HSA program in 2008 much more time for planning. In past years, this information was not available until very late in the year.

Noting that the minimum deductible limits for HSA-qualified health insurance probably will not change from 2007 to 2008, Ramthun writes:

This means HSA-qualified plans will not have to make any changes to their plan designs because their current policies will meet the minimum deductibles and out-of-pocket limits for 2008.

Ramthun further notes that the limit on “catch-up” contributions by HSA holders age 55–64 in 2008 will remain $900; that amount is set by law rather than a formula, and will top out at $1,000 in 2009.

The IRS will publish the official HSA limits for 2008 by June 1.

For more on HSAs, click here.