For 2026, to be an HSA-eligible High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), the plan must have at LEAST a minimum annual deductible and CANNOT EXCEED a maximum out-of-pocket limit, both set annually by the IRS. Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

Explanation

Under IRC §223 and annual IRS revenue procedures, an HSA-eligible HDHP must satisfy TWO numerical tests, set separately for self-only and family coverage and adjusted annually for inflation: first, the annual deductible must be at LEAST the IRS minimum (for 2026, in the rough range of $1,700 self-only / $3,400 family — candidates should rely on current Rev. Proc.); and second, the maximum out-of-pocket limit for in-network care must NOT EXCEED the IRS ceiling (in the rough range of $8,500 self-only / $17,000 family for 2026). Preventive services may be covered before the deductible without disqualifying the plan, which is why the statement describing both tests with separate self-only and family figures is the accurate one. The single fixed $1,000 deductible minimum applying to both coverage tiers with no out-of-pocket cap fabricates a flat deductible and removes the ceiling. The claim that only family coverage can be paired with an HSA is wrong; both self-only and family HDHPs qualify. And the assertion that the thresholds have gone unadjusted for 20 years because IRC §223 fixed them in the statute is wrong; the plan-qualification figures are inflation-adjusted yearly by revenue procedure.