CPAP supplies not eligible flexible spending account??

I thought flexible spending accounts went by IRS rules not employer or insurance company rules? This insurance company has a very short list of "eligible" items and CPAP supplies are not on it. They claim that the employer can make a customized list of what is and isn't eligible. I'm very confused about this. WTF?

nobody wrote:I thought flexible spending accounts went by IRS rules not employer or insurance company rules? This insurance company has a very short list of "eligible" items and CPAP supplies are not on it. They claim that the employer can make a customized list of what is and isn't eligible. I'm very confused about this. WTF?

Well, get in contact with someone who definitively KNOWS FOR SURE and ask them.
Maybe get it in writing, too.


Den

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Do unicorns exist? If you can get anyone on the phone *and* understand their English, they just talk in circles or hang up on you. It's awful.

nobody wrote:Do unicorns exist? If you can get anyone on the phone *and* understand their English, they just talk in circles or hang up on you. It's awful.

Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.


Den

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Because I am not wealthy enough to do that, I have to play these games. Beyond aggravating. They make it hard so to steal your money.

From the Healthcare.gov website :

FSAs may also be used to cover costs of medical equipment like crutches, supplies like bandages, and diagnostic devices like blood sugar test kits.

That page has a link to the IRS website which lists generally allowable medical expenses:

Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. These expenses include payments for legal medical services rendered by physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other medical practitioners. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.

OTOH, looking at some health insurance company websites I'm seeing statements about how employers can limit coverage on the FSA's. No wonder you're confused and frustrated.

Wulfman... wrote:Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.

But using the FSA is buying it out-of-pocket -- it's your money in your FSA. The only question is whether you pay taxes on the money.

cathyf wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.

But using the FSA is buying it out-of-pocket -- it's your money in your FSA. The only question is whether you pay taxes on the money.

In the years I was working for my last employer (1996 - 2009) I never had any medical expenses until 2005 with my Sleep Apnea diagnosis and therapy. But, during most of those years (and even after starting CPAP therapy) I never met (or even used part of) the deductible and the FSA was "use it or lose it"......so, I wasn't about to lose that money. The way I understand it now, there's a "rollover" that applies to the contributions.


Den

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cathyf wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.

But using the FSA is buying it out-of-pocket -- it's your money in your FSA. The only question is whether you pay taxes on the money.

Sometimes companies fund the FSA as a benefit so maybe that is where they think it's their money and call on what gets covered.

Wulfman... wrote:

cathyf wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.

But using the FSA is buying it out-of-pocket -- it's your money in your FSA. The only question is whether you pay taxes on the money.

In the years I was working for my last employer (1996 - 2009) I never had any medical expenses until 2005 with my Sleep Apnea diagnosis and therapy. But, during most of those years (and even after starting CPAP therapy) I never met (or even used part of) the deductible and the FSA was "use it or lose it"......so, I wasn't about to lose that money. The way I understand it now, there's a "rollover" that applies to the contributions.


Den

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You can roll over the funds in an HSA (Health Savings Account) from year to year; the funds in an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) you cannot.

As far as I know, Health Savings Accounts have roll-over provisions to the next year, but Flexible Spending Accts don't.... if you don't use FSA the year it is set up for, you will lose it. These are two different types of accounts. Health Savings accts are usually part of very high deductible medical insurance plans (usually minimum $1500 deductible), but Flexible Spending Accts are not usually attached to high deductible health insurance plans. The IRS laws dictate what can these accts can be used for, but maybe the employer can also stipulate, I am not sure. If your Flexible Spending Act is from an employer-sponsored health insurance plan, check with your Human Resources Dept or Benefits Counselor at work. Maybe they will have a list of allowable items to help you to get the savings intended from your FSA.

Drowsy Dancer wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:

cathyf wrote:

Wulfman... wrote:Sorry, I've never used a FSA and consequently never had to deal with that stuff.
Another reason I just bought all my stuff out-of-pocket after the initial equipment purchase.

But using the FSA is buying it out-of-pocket -- it's your money in your FSA. The only question is whether you pay taxes on the money.

In the years I was working for my last employer (1996 - 2009) I never had any medical expenses until 2005 with my Sleep Apnea diagnosis and therapy. But, during most of those years (and even after starting CPAP therapy) I never met (or even used part of) the deductible and the FSA was "use it or lose it"......so, I wasn't about to lose that money. The way I understand it now, there's a "rollover" that applies to the contributions.


Den

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You can roll over the funds in an HSA (Health Savings Account) from year to year; the funds in an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) you cannot.

Hmmmmm......Now I don't know which one they talked about in our insurance meetings.
But, at this point, it doesn't matter.

Thanks.


Den

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nobody wrote:Because I am not wealthy enough to do that, I have to play these games. Beyond aggravating. They make it hard so to steal your money.

in many cases, it's cheaper to just buy stuff from ebay, amazon, or cpap.com than it is to deal with the insurance company.

us non-wealthy people shop around for the lowest overall price

When I had PayFlex, I was able to use the funds for all prescription medications and all cpap supplies,
eyeglasses, hearing aids, batteries, office visit copays, etc.
At one time, I could use it for OTC meds, but they removed that. There has been some mention that restrictions would gradually whittle away the entire FSA program, BY DESIGN. It is my understanding that FSA was intended to be temporary.

Hello nobody,

It must be that your individual Flex-Spending administrator disallows these medical receipts. That's a bummer.

I have two ways to utilize my Flex Spending account: A Flex Spending Visa card is supplied or I can submit receipts by photo with my iPad or iPhone to my Flex Spending on-line account. I have bought an awful lot of equipment from our hosts and simply print the CPAP.com receipt, take a picture of it, and have always been reimbursed for my CPAP supplies. I have never been denied.

If you think about it, you need a prescription, therefore one could make a strong argument that this is medical equipment that should be covered.

Take care,
TheWino