Even though your benefits may cover a large portion of your health care expenses, you are likely to have some expenses that you will have to pay out of your own pocket. These might include deductibles, copays and other expenses not covered under the medical, dental and vision plans. You can use the health care spending account to reimburse yourself for these expenses as well as other expenses incurred by you and your eligible dependents.

 

Expenses for your domestic partner and domestic partner’s children are not eligible for reimbursement unless they are considered eligible tax dependents for federal income tax purposes.

 

If you enroll in the Consumer Choice Plan

If you participate in the Consumer Choice Plan, you should use your HSA for eligible medical, dental and vision expenses, because you never forfeit any unused balance — it is simply carried forward from year to year. However, if you feel you will have dental, vision and certain over-the-counter (OTC) drug expenses in 2009 that will exceed the maximum allowable contribution to your HSA, you may want to consider adding money to a limited use FSA as well. Just remember that:

> The limited use FSA is just that; it can only be used for dental, vision (not medical) and certain OTC drugs; and

> The limited use FSA has a “use it or lose it” provision; any balance remaining after all expenses incurred during the year have been reimbursed is forfeited.

 

Reimbursement from your health care flexible spending account — optional debit card

When you participate in the health care spending account, you’ll automatically receive a debit card that you can use to pay for your eligible health care expenses. The card works much like one attached to your bank account does. Each time you pay for eligible services or products, the cost is deducted from the balance in your health care spending account. You do not have to use the card, you may destroy it if you wish.

 

If you use the card to pay eligible expenses, be sure to keep copies of your receipts in case you are asked to substantiate your expenses to Aetna before they can confirm that the account was used for an eligible expense or at some time in the future for IRS compliance. You can check to see whether any of your submitted expenses require further documentation by logging in to InfoBank > BenefitsWeb > Health & Welfare > Flexible Spending Account.

If you have any questions about how the debit card works or your account balance, you can contact the Workplace Solutions Center at (888) 471-2271 or log in to InfoBank > BenefitsWeb > Health & Welfare > Flexible Spending Account. The minimum you can contribute to the account per year is $100 and the maximum is $5,000. Here are some of the most common eligible health care expenses that can be reimbursed through the account if they are not paid by your health plans:

• - Medical, dental, vision and prescription drug deductibles and copays
• - High-cost dental procedures that are not entirely covered under the dental plan
  - Orthodontic treatment
  - Hearing aids and hearing tests
  - Prescription glasses, contact lenses and solution
  - Weight loss expenses if for treatment of existing disease and under a physician’s direction
  - Over-the-counter items

This is not a complete list of eligible expenses. Check with your tax advisor, visit the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf or call 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) to request Publication 502 for a full list of eligible and ineligible expenses.

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Questions about your employee benefits or other Human Resources issues? Contact the Workplace Solutions Center at (888) 471-2271.