Medical Savings Accounts

Overview

Medical  Savings  Accounts  (MSAs)  are  a  relatively  new  mechanism  for  financing  health care.  The  key  feature  of  MSAs  is  that  they  are  personalized  savings  accounts earmarked  for  health  care.  Individuals  or  households  accumulate  savings  for  the majority  or  the  full  cost  of  care  which  is  paid  directly  to  providers  (physicians, hospitals,  pharmacists)  at  the  time  of  consumption,  much  like  the  purchase  of  other goods  or  services. 

This brief is part of a series, The World Health Report Technical Briefs, written to further develop key policy issues outlined in the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage. The Briefs give a concise overview of the issues. They describe some country experiences and propose a menu of actions for policy makers.