Claritas Insurance Audit Shows Baby Boomers Are Embracing Health Savings Accounts

Market Wire, January, 2006

While less than five percent of U.S. consumers have a health savings account (HSA), Baby Boomers, by contrast, are embracing the product in comparatively high numbers. In fact, according to recent findings from the 2005 Insurance Audit™, 56 percent of householders with an HSA are between the ages of 40-60 years old.

By comparison, just under 35 percent of the respondent households with an HSA are under 40 years old. Overall, 4.4 percent of the entire survey household sample of 35,000 said they had a group HSA, but the numbers are expected to continue moving upward as HSAs are increasingly offered on a broader scale through corporate group plans.

2005 Respondent Households with HSA: Age Categories:

http://www.claritasmarketing.com/press/health/

The Insurance Audit survey, which is administered by Integras, Claritas' advanced analytical services division, is designed to generate a national representative sample of United States households' insurance behavior. Data includes the following insurance categories: automobile, residential, life, health and insurance attitudes.

"HSAs provide consumers an excellent way to obtain affordable health insurance and a way to save on overall medical expenses, as well as future medical expenses," said Integras Consultant Noel Schoonover. "The ability of baby boomers to begin saving now for their health expenses during retirement will also save Medicare money in the future and help ensure Medicare's future financial vitality," he added.

Other notable findings included:

--  Nearly 40 percent of households with an HSA are concerned about their
    long-term care needs compared to 32.1 percent of the total households
    surveyed.

--  Nearly 45 percent of households with HSAs are concerned about earning
    an income if they become disabled compared to 33.1 percent of all
    households surveyed.

--  Over 50 percent of households with an HSA are concerned about
    outliving their retirement savings compared to 44.2 percent of the total
    households surveyed.
    

About Claritas

Since 1971, San Diego-based Claritas has been the pre-eminent source of accurate, up-to-date marketing information about people, households and businesses within any geographic area in the United States. Its target marketing services are aimed at reducing the cost of customer acquisition and growing customer value. Claritas offers industry-leading consumer segmentation systems, consulting services and software applications for site analysis, advertising sales and customer targeting. Claritas is a division of VNU, a world-leading information and media company that includes ACNielsen, Nielsen Media Research, Spectra Marketing Systems, and Scarborough Research, among others. To learn more about Claritas and VNU products and services visit their web sites at www.claritas.com and www.VNU.com.

About Integras

A division of Claritas Inc., Integras combines sophisticated quantitative analysis with the broadest array of consumer and business data available in the United States to help companies make better strategic decisions. In addition to conducting four syndicated surveys (Convergence Audit, Restaurant Audit, Insurance Audit, Market Audit), the Customer Research and Targeting business unit of Integras conducts custom primary market research on behalf of its clients. To learn more about Integras products and services, visit its web site at www.integrasconsulting.com.

Contact: Stephen F. Moore Claritas Inc. (858) 677-9634 Email Contact