The Medical Savings Account (MSA) is an older form of the Health Savings Account (HSA).

You cannot open a new MSA. You cannot contribute additional money into your MSA.

However, you can keep your MSA as long as you like. When you retire, it will automatically turn into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and you can withdraw money from it then for any reason (not just medical).

Or, if you dont want to keep your MSA, you can roll it into your HSA.

Why would anyone want to keep their MSA?

I can think of only one circumstance. My wife and I have kept our MSA because our HSA custodian does not offer very good investment options yet in their HSAs. They only have a type of money market account for their HSA offerings. We want to put money into mutual fund accounts rather than money markets, but with their HSA product, we cant do that yet, until they expand the options.

For the most part, it will make perfect sense to roll your MSA into an HSA. However, if you decide not to do that, it is your right to hang on to that MSA as long as you wish, and retire with that money or use it for medical expenses along the way.

Daryl Kulak

Daryl Kulak is the author of Health Insurance Off the Grid, a book that explains how to save thousands on health insurance using the new Health Savings Account (HSA). More information about the book is available at http://www.healthoffthegrid.com