Washington, D.C. -- Interest in a new health product for federal employees continues to grow, as illustrated by the steadily rising number of visitors to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Health Savings Account website.

As of October 6, the OPM site (www.opm.gov/hsa) has registered 44,246 visitors since its debut 17 days ago. The Health Savings Account (HSA) site debuted September 20 and registered 12,087 total visitors the following day. Additionally, 12,301 visitors have requested e-mail updates and information.

"OPM anticipated there would be some interest in this option, but the interest to date exceeds expectations," said James. "Health Savings Accounts offer federal employees of all ages a health-care option that enables them to use their hard-earned dollars in ways to best meet their needs and those of their families. Federal employees want and deserve additional options in health care for themselves and their families, and for many, HSAs offer the opportunity to manage health concerns and accumulate wealth."

Health Savings Accounts are tax-advantaged products that empower enrollees in High Deductible Health Plans to use their medical dollars wisely and save money for future medical needs. The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program will offer 18 High Deductible Health Plans through which HSA accounts will be offered in 2005.

President George W. Bush made HSAs available to federal employees with the signing of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.

In addition, a link from OPM's popular federal jobs website (www.usajobs.gov) contains a link to the HSA site. On average, USAJOBS advertises 17,000 federal job openings each day. James hopes the availability of the new health product will spur highly qualified men and women in a variety of professional, administrative and technical fields to consider federal careers.