CM could benefit as employers turn to HRAs.

CM could benefit as employers turn to HRAs

Plan could help people take charge of their care

The recent approval of employer-funded Healthcare Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) by the U.S. Department of Treasury will give employers and employees more flexibility in health care coverage and may actually make the case managers job easier, says Bonnie Whyte, CSCI, spokeswoman for the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation, a trade association based in Washington, DC.

HRAs, also known as defined contributions to health care or flexible spending accounts, allow the employers to fund personal accounts that can be used to reimburse workers for out-of-pocket medical …