Three-fourth of large employers and health plans offering HSA-eligible plans have expanded pre-deductible coverage for medications and services that prevent the exacerbation of chronic conditions. This expansion, however, has had minimal impact on premiums, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

"Our prior EBRI research demonstrated that a majority of employers would expand the list of services covered on a pre-deductible basis if allowed by the IRS," says Dr. A. Mark Fendrick, coauthor of the report and director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. "Reflecting this interest, bipartisan, bicameral legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Congress that would provide additional flexibility to extend pre-deductible coverage to services that manage chronic conditions."