Lion Advantage HSA Plan

The Lion Advantage HSA plan is a high deductible health plan option with a lower employee contribution. This plan is automatically paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA), for which Penn State will provide employer seed funding to your HSA as applicable in January.

Important guidelines for participation in this plan:

While all full-time, benefits-eligible employees are eligible, the EMPLOYEE:

  • CANNOT be enrolled in Medicare or be collecting Social Security benefits. It is recommended that employees, who are returning from retirement, consult with their financial advisor regarding implications of dis-enrolling from Medicare to be eligible for the HSA, as they will not be able to collect Social Security benefits unless they are enrolled in Medicare. Once an individual dis-enrolls from Medicare, that person can contribute to the HSA.
    • If you are enrolled in Medicare, or plan to be during the next benefit plan year, you may want to consider different health plan options as to avoid issues with your HSA enrollment.
  • CANNOT be enrolled in another health plan (including Tricare).
    • If you are enrolled in another health plan, or plan to be during the next benefit plan year, you may want to consider different health plan options as to avoid issues with your HSA enrollment.
  • CANNOT have a balance in a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
    • Due to IRS regulations, Lion Advantage HSA plan members are not eligible to enroll in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). If an employee currently has money in an FSA - either through themselves or through a spouse - that person must use all the money in the FSA before enrolling in the Lion Advantage HSA plan.
    • If two Penn State employees are married and have elected family coverage under the Lion Advantage HSA plan, a Health Care FSA cannot be opened under either employee. In addition, if you are the Penn State employee and your spouse is employed elsewhere and enrolled in a high-deductible health plan with an HSA, a Health Care FSA cannot be opened by either employee. The IRS does not permit use of a Health Care FSA when contributing to an HSA.
  • CANNOT have a J or F Visa; these Visa holders are eligible for the Lion Traditional plan only.
  • CANNOT be classified as a Postdoctoral Fellow; Postdoctoral Fellows are eligible for the Lion Traditional plan only.

Health Savings Account (HSA) Information

If you have elected to enroll in the Lion Advantage HSA plan, a Health Savings Account (HSA) is automatically opened on your behalf through HealthEquity. Funds to this account are contributed on a tax-free basis and can be used for eligible health expenses and will roll over from calendar year to calendar year. These funds also remain yours should you leave Penn State employment in the future or are no longer eligible to participate in a Penn State medical plan.

Employees enrolled in the HSA and still actively working at Penn State will have a monthly account management fee of $1.00 automatically deducted from their HSA account by HealthEquity. Employees who leave or retire from Penn State will see the monthly account management fee deducted by HealthEquity increase to $3.95 after separated from university employment.

To help get you started, Penn State contributes "seed" money into your account as a new hire, newly eligible due to an IRS qualifying life event, or in January due to your benefits open enrollment based on eligibility. The below seed funding amounts must be taken into account when calculating the maximum annual contributions the IRS allows into an HSA, also outlined below:

2025 Health Savings Account Seed Money
Salary Penn State Contribution/Coverage
$45,000 or less $800/Individual
$1,600/Family
$45,000.01 to $60,000 $600/Individual
$1,200/Family
$60,000.01 to $90,000 $400/Individual
$800/Family
More than $90,000 $200/Individual
$400/Family

2025 HSA Contribution Maximums
Coverage Maximum
Individual $4,300
Family $8,550

Paying for Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses

With the Lion Advantage HSA plan, there is generally no payment due at the time of service; however, the subscriber will receive a bill from their provider. The subscriber may then choose to pay the bill from a Health Savings Account (HSA) or from other personal accounts. If the bill is paid from a Health Savings account, the subscriber may use the Health Equity debit card, or may pay the provider directly through the claims portal.

Qualified medical expenses are those incurred by the following individuals:

  • Employee and spouse
  • Dependents who are claimed on the account holder's tax return
  • Any person claimed as a dependent on the account holder's tax return except if:
    • the person filed a joint tax return
    • the person had a gross income of $3,900 or more
    • the account holder, or the account holder's spouse if filling jointly, could be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return

See Health Savings Account (HSA) for more information about employer contributions to the HSA, maximum allowable annual contributions to the HSA, and how this type of account may be used to pay for medical expenses throughout the life span.

Premiums

Faculty & Staff

2025 Monthly premium contributions - Lion Advantage HSA
Coverage Salary % $30,000 $40,000 $55,000 $75,000 $85,000 $100,000 $140,000 $175,000 $200,000
Individual 0.91% $22.75 $30.33 $41.71 $56.88 $64.46 $75.83 $106.17 $132.71 $151.67
Two-Person 2.19% $54.75 $73.00 $100.38 $136.88 $155.13 $182.50 $255.50 $319.38 $365.00
Parent/Child(ren) 2.03% $50.75 $67.67 $93.04 $126.88 $143.79 $169.17 $236.83 $296.04 $338.33
Family 2.79% $69.74 $93.00 $127.88 $174.38 $197.63 $232.50 $325.50 $406.88 $465.00

 

Technical Service

Bi-weekly premium contributions - Lion Advantage HSA Plan
Coverage Salary % $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $75,000
Individual 2.10% $24.23 $32.31 $40.38 $48.46 $60.58
Two-Person 4.20% $48.46 $64.62 $80.77 $96.92 $121.15
Parent/Child(ren) 3.89% $44.88 $59.85 $74.81 $89.77 $112.21
Family 5.25% $60.58 $80.77 $100.96 $121.15 $151.44