Mercer projects 2025 HSA, HDHP and excepted-benefit HRA figures 

February 16, 2024

Mercer projects the 2025 inflation-adjusted amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs), high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and excepted-benefit health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) will all rise from 2024 levels. These unofficial 2025 amounts are determined using the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)’s cost-of-living adjustment methods, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) values through January 2024, and Mercer’s projected C-CPI-U values for February and March.

The table below shows the projected HSA, HDHP and excepted-benefit HRA amounts for 2025, along with the 2024 and 2023 values for comparison. The HSA catch-up contribution limit is set by statute and hasn’t changed since 2009.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) out-of-pocket maximums are higher than projected amounts. In November 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 2025 out-of-pocket maximums for nongrandfathered group health plans under the ACA — $9,200 for self-only and $18,400 for other coverages, down from the 2024 amounts of $9,450 and $18,900, respectively. This is the first time these limits have decreased year-over-year. However, the 2025 ACA amounts are still higher than the projected 2025 HDHP out-of-pocket maximums.

• Publication 969, HSAs and other tax-favored health plans (IRS, annually updated)
• Premium adjustment percentage, maximum annual limitation on cost sharing, reduced maximum annual limitation on cost sharing and required contribution percentage for the 2025 benefit year (CMS, Nov. 15, 2023)
• Health savings accounts (Congressional Research Service, Aug. 8, 2022)
• Health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs): Overview and related history (Congressional Research Service, March 7, 2022)
• A comparison of tax-advantaged accounts for healthcare expenses (Congressional Research Service, May 3, 2021)

• Summary of 2024 benefit-related cost-of-living adjustments (Feb. 8, 2024)
• 2024 quick benefit facts (Jan. 17, 2024)
• Top 10 health, leave benefit compliance and policy issues in 2024; see Section 10, Health savings account (HSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) and health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) developments (Oct. 12, 2023)
• Two-year renewal of predeductible HDHP telehealth coverage now law (Jan. 11, 2023)
• Final rules ease restrictions on health reimbursement arrangements (June 14, 2019)

• How to maximize HDHPs and HSAs to save costs, promote health and retain talent (March 17, 2022)
• Helping employees save smarter through HSAs (Feb. 10, 2022)
• To treat or to prevent? That is (still) the HSA question (Jan. 7, 2020)
• HSA vs. 401(k): Help your employees win the battle for account funding (Jan. 31, 2019)