That means a saver would generally rarely if ever pay tax on their HSA money, unlike retirement accounts such as a pre-tax or Roth IRA. Because health-care costs are "inevitable" in old age, the HSA functions like "an off-label account for retirement preparation," Vargas said. Anyone who can afford to do so should try to pay out of pocket for current health costs and allow HSA investments to grow, advisors say. The IRS counts qualified medical expenses as those generally eligible for the medical and dental expenses tax deduction. For example, if a saver has credit-card debt, paying that down would take priority over funding an HSA, McClanahan said.

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Persons: Carolyn McClanahan, Vargas, Roth, HSAs, they'd, Luis Alvarez, McClanahan, Sabino Vargas Organizations: Maskot, Getty, Roth IRA, IRS, Digitalvision, Workers, Planning Partners, IRA, Vanguard Locations: Jacksonville , Florida