Remodel Health and Lively bring HSAs into the CHOICE Arrangement experience

By Bill Williams on Nov 3, 2026, 8:33:29 AM

Healthcare benefits should empower people. That belief guides how we build at Remodel Health. Today, employers are leaving unpredictable group renewals behind. Instead, they’re embracing the flexibility of a CHOICE Arrangement, formerly known as an individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement (ICHRA). Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all group health plan, employers can give employees a defined contribution toward qualified individual health coverage, giving them the freedom to choose a plan that fits their needs.

But choice shouldn’t stop at health insurance. Employees should have easy and reliable ways to save for healthcare costs, invest their money, and plan for the future.

As Head of Product at Remodel Health, I’m excited to share our partnership with Lively, one of the country's fastest-growing health savings account (HSA) providers. Together, we're introducing the Remodel Health HSA, powered by Lively, a cobranded HSA that connects HSA selection and enrollment directly to the CHOICE Arrangement.

For us, this partnership is more than adding another benefit to our platform. It's the next step toward a more connected and comprehensive approach to healthcare.

What to know:

• The Remodel Health HSA is available to employers that offer a CHOICE Arrangement through Remodel Health.
• Employees who enroll in an HSA-qualified plan, including qualifying Bronze and catastrophic plans, can pair it with an HSA.
• Remodel Health advisors guide plan selection. Lively runs the HSA and mobile app.

Why pairing a CHOICE Arrangement with an HSA is the natural next step for individualized benefits

A shift is happening in the benefits space. Employers are moving away from traditional group plans and turning toward defined contributions, portability, flexibility, and individual choice. And the best option to support those goals is the CHOICE Arrangement.

With a CHOICE Arrangement, employers choose a fixed contribution amount, and employees select their preferred qualified individual health plan, using their employer's contribution to pay for their monthly premium tax-free. One employee might want a broader provider network, while another may prefer a lower monthly premium and a higher deductible. The right choice depends on each person's circumstances.

An HSA is a tax-advantaged savings account that lets eligible individuals save for current and future qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses. Unused funds roll over year to year, and the account belongs to the individual, not the employer.

Before 2026, many Bronze plans didn’t qualify for an HSA. Federal law now treats Bronze and catastrophic plans purchased through the Marketplace as HSA-qualified¹. Off-exchange versions of those plans also qualify. Now those who enroll in a qualified high deductible health plan (HDHP), or a qualifying Bronze or catastrophic policy, can pair their coverage with an HSA for extra benefits.

Combining an HSA with a CHOICE Arrangement gives employees more control over their health coverage and how they can financially plan for healthcare costs. But in the past, managing the two benefits was a challenge. In many cases, employees had to manage different benefit providers, learn how their health plan and HSA work together, and figure out how to fund and use their account. Without proper education, some individuals never fully understood how a tax-advantaged HSA can help them pay qualified out-of-pocket expenses and better prepare for future medical costs.

That’s why we created a better way. By bringing HSA enrollment into Remodel Health’s CHOICE Arrangement shopping experience, we're making it easier for employees to understand and select their benefits in one streamlined process, so they can access the full value of an HSA. Together, employers can offer a more comprehensive benefits strategy through one connected platform, while employees can access health coverage and a savings tool designed for current and long-term healthcare planning.

Why Lively was the right partner for our benefits expansion

We took a hard look at the HSA market before we chose a partner. We wanted a company that shared our commitment to employee experience and could provide a high-quality HSA offering as our customer base grows.

Lively stood out for three reasons: its technology, its focus on customer experience, and its track record of serving employers and their employees. We’ll look at each reason below.

They build their own technology

Lively built and operates its own AI platform and serves as custodian of HSA funds, rather than outsourcing to a third party, giving it direct control over its innovative technology. This gives employers greater flexibility in how they configure and deliver their HSA program, and makes the implementation of their benefits strategy faster and simpler.

Lively also uses AI-powered, context-aware assistance to help employees and employers complete common account tasks, navigate benefits questions, and identify eligible expenses. Because the AI Assistant understands the details of an employer’s specific benefits program, it can provide employees with more relevant guidance, not just general information.

That matters because an HSA is more than a place to deposit money. Employees need to understand their balances, access their funds when they need them, and manage their accounts without unnecessary friction. Employers need a benefits experience that is straightforward to configure, launch, and support. Lively brings those needs together in one platform.

They put the customer’s experience first

Lively's approach to customer experience was another important factor in our decision. An HSA can offer significant value, but employees won’t be satisfied if they can't understand their accounts or don’t feel supported.

We wanted a partner that treats the employee experience as a core part of the product rather than an afterthought.

Here are the stats:

• Investor's Business Daily named Lively one of the Best HSA Providers for 2026.² They also ranked on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for the third year in a row³.
• Lively has three times the industry-average Net Promoter Score (NPS), indicating strong customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• They have an employer retention rate of more than 98%, showing a track record of employers continuing to choose Lively.
• The company manages more than $2.5 billion in assets, meaning they have experience running a large HSA platform that benefits its users.

Simply put, a great company isn’t solely defined by how well its products work. What matters is how well the company treats its customers and shows them they care.

We have shared visions and values

Ultimately, the partnership comes down to alignment. Remodel Health and Lively both believe employees should have more control over their healthcare decisions, supported by technology that makes those decisions easier to tackle.

We bring our team, experience, and passion for CHOICE Arrangement administration, and Lively brings a dedicated HSA platform and drive in helping people save and spend healthcare dollars. Together, we make the overall benefits experience more connected, informative, and impactful for employers and employees.

What this partnership means for employers and employees

The Remodel Health HSA, combines an HSA-compatible HRA with Lively’s HSA platform to create a more well-rounded benefits strategy.

Employers will receive:

• A differentiated employee benefit. Employers can offer eligible employees access to a tax-advantaged HSA alongside their flexible and personalized CHOICE Arrangement. This gives employers another way to support employee financial well-being and make their company more competitive.
• Simplified administration. By connecting HSA eligibility and enrollment with the Remodel Health CHOICE Arrangement shopping process, we reduce the need for employees and administrators to navigate multiple tools and platforms. Lively also connects to payroll and benefits systems that employers already use, and provides AI-powered dashboards and tools to manage the benefit.
• Potential payroll tax savings. Qualifying pre-tax employee contributions to an HSA through a properly structured Section 125 cafeteria plan can offer significant tax advantages. Employers can also offer pre-tax contributions excluded from FICA.
• A stronger employee experience. Employees receive more value from their benefits when they work together and are easier to understand. Connecting a CHOICE Arrangement to an HSA helps employers offer a more cohesive experience, which can result in higher retention, satisfaction, and benefit utilization.

Employees will have:

• Triple tax advantages. Employee contributions are tax-deductible, account earnings grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses for employees, their spouses, and their dependents are tax-free.
• Savings that stay with them. An HSA always belongs to the account holder, even if they got it through their employer. Unused balances roll over each year, and the account remains with the employee when they change jobs.
• Convenient access to funds. Lively provides a mobile app and debit card that allow account holders to manage their HSA and pay for eligible expenses. Employees can also pay out of pocket and reimburse themselves later for qualified expenses.
• Flexible investment options. Employees can start investing their HSA balance as soon as their account is active, as Lively offers options that don't require a minimum investment balance.
• No monthly account maintenance fees. Lively's standard individual HSA accounts have no monthly maintenance fee.

How the Remodel Health HSA works

We've designed the experience to connect HSA enrollment with the existing CHOICE Arrangement process while allowing Lively to deliver the dedicated account experience it specializes in. The goal is to make setup and enrollment straightforward for employers while giving employees a dedicated platform to manage their HSA.

Here's how the process will work for employers and employees:

1. Design the benefit. Once an employer decides to offer a CHOICE Arrangement and an HSA together, Remodel Health works with them to align the HSA offering with their overall benefits strategy. Our streamlined implementation process sets up the new HSA relationship in two to four weeks.
1. To compliantly work with an HSA, your CHOICE Arrangement must cover only employees’ monthly individual health insurance premiums or reimburse other qualifying healthcare costs after they reach their annual deductible. Remodel Health helps employers design a compliant CHOICE Arrangement for those participating in an HSA.⁴
2. Select eligible coverage. Employees use the Remodel Health platform to shop for HSA-eligible health plans, seamlessly fusing HSA eligibility and selection into the employee shopping experience.
3. Connect enrollment information. Remodel Health directly integrates eligibility and enrollment information with Lively to support the HSA enrollment process.
4. Activate the HSA. Eligible employees complete the necessary steps to activate their accounts through Lively and access its digital account-management features.
5. Fund the account. Employees can make eligible HSA contributions through the employer's established payroll process. Employer contributions may also be available as part of the benefit design.
6. Use the account. Employees receive a debit card and can use their HSA funds for qualified medical expenses, according to their account’s plan design.

Powering the next era of individualized health benefits

I see the Remodel Health and Lively partnership as one step in a bigger plan for employee benefits. For too long, industry leaders have treated benefits as separate products: health insurance through one provider, savings accounts through another, resulting in administrative processes that don't always communicate with one another. But there’s a better way.

A CHOICE Arrangement gives employees more flexibility in choosing their health coverage, while an HSA adds a tax-advantaged way to save for qualified healthcare expenses. When connected seamlessly and powered by the right technology, the two provide a richer selection of integrated benefits and empower employees.

At Remodel Health, our goal is to help employers deliver individualized health benefits that work reliably at scale, while giving employees the support and tools they need to get the most out of them. Partnering with Lively brings us closer to fulfilling that vision. By combining our expertise in CHOICE Arrangements with Lively's HSA platform, we're building a greater experience for employers and employees for 2027 and beyond. That’s choice simplified.

Learn more about how CHOICE Arrangements and HSAs work together to support your team and business.

References

1. IRS - Expanded Availability of Health Savings Accounts under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)
2. Lively
3. Lively Named to the Inc. 5000 for the Third Consecutive Year
4. Health Reimbursement Arrangements and Other Account-Based Group Health Plans