form of tax-preferenced health care spending accounts. others include flexible spending accounts (fsas), archer medical savings accounts (msas), which have been superseded by the new hsas (although existing msas are grandfathered), and health reimbursement accounts (hras). these accounts are most commonly used as part of an employee health benefit package. while there are currently no government-imposed limits to fsas, legislation currently being reconciled between the house of representatives and senate would impose a cap of $2,500. while both the house and senate bills would adjust the cap to inflation, approximately 7 million americans who use their fsas to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses greater than $2,500 would be forced to pay higher taxes and health care costs. in july 2009, save flexible spending plans, a national grassroots advocacy organization, was formed to protect against the restricted use of fsas in health care reform efforts, save flexible spending accounts is sponsored by the employers council on flexible compensation (ecfc), a non-profit organization "dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of the private employee benefits on a tax-advantaged basis". ecfc members include companies such as wageworks inc., a benefits provider based in san mateo, california. most fsa participants are middle income americans, earning approximately $55,000 annually. individuals and families with chronic illnesses typically receive the most benefit from fsas; even when insured, they incur annual out-of-pocket expenses averaging $4,398 . approximately 44 percent of americans have one or more chronic conditions . limited benefit plan opposite to high-deductible plans are plans which provide limited benefits—up to a low level—have also been introduced. these limited medical benefit plans pay for routine care and do not pay for catastrophic care, they do not provide equivalent financial security to a major medical plan. annual benefit limits can be as low as $2,000. lifetime maximums can be very low as well. discount medical card one option that is becoming more popular is the discount medical card. these cards are not insurance policies, but provide access to discounts from participating health care providers. while some offer a degree of value, there are serious potential drawbacks for the consumer. short term short term health insurance plans have a short policy period (typically months) and are intended for people who only need insurance for a short time period before longer term insurance is obtained. short term plans typically cost less than traditional plans and have shorter application processes, but do not cover pre-existing conditions. health care sharing a health care sharing ministry is an organization that facilitates sharing of health care costs between individual members who have common ethical or religious beliefs. though a health care sharing ministry is not an insurance company, members are exempted from the individual responsibility requirements of the patient protection and affordable care act. health care markets and pricing