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I think its nice that they're telling employees about the change this far in advance. Most employers will tell you about this a couple weeks before the prices get jacked up or the benefits get slashed. It shows a lot of respect for their employees.

I would suspect that some of the timing may have been based on the outcome of the Obama health care bill. With additional requirements like insuring until children are 26 and things like that it makes it more expensive to provide health care.

The announcement was timed to coincide with Microsoft's Open Enrollment period - which opens in November.

Nope, the changes don't take effect for two years.

If you're switching to an HSA and anticipate good health in the near term, you could benefit from switching early and saving the unused portion of Microsoft's contribution to the HSA in your account, or otherwise contributing and allowing it to appreciate as savings.

So yes, it could be helpful information for future planning.