@ahclem wrote:
I used Turbo Tax this year, it asked me the following question: "What type of High Deductible Health Plan did you have on 12/1/2018?" Why does Turbo Tax ask this question?
TurboTax has to ask that question because of a very complicated rule called the "last-month rule." If you contributed to an HSA in 2018, and you had an HDHP on December 1, 2018, but not for the entire year, under certain circumstances you might have to report additional income on your 2019 tax return. So TurboTax for 2019 has to ask the question.
The people you spoke to at your insurance company, the Marketplace, and the IRS are apparently not familiar with the details of this complicated and somewhat obscure rule. But the insurance company certainly knows whether the policy that they sold you is a high deductible health plan. The person you spoke to might be a poorly trained call center employee who doesn't really know very much about health insurance.
@ahclem wrote:
since the term “HDHP” is an IRS invention
"High Deductible Health Plan" is not an IRS invention. It's defined in a law that Congress passed in 2003.
