AboutLinda Woolsteen Expertise I can help you with questions about health insurance. If you feel your insurance company is mistreating you. Are they telling you they are checking eligibity, pre-existing, etc. Or you just don`t understand how your insurance works or don`t understand what a PPO is.. I can help you.
Experience
Past/Present clients One company I worked for I was the underwriter for the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and the Ohio Bar Association. I was also a supervisor of our customer service department.
Expert: Linda Woolsteen Date: 11/19/2004 Subject: pretax heathcare spending account
Question I am considering signing up for my company's plan that allows me to put money (pre tax) into a heathcare saving account to be used within the year. I would like to get vision correction surgery this year. I have been told conflicting things about this. Can I use this money for this type of surgery or other elective medical procedures or are there specific things or procedures the money must be used for.
Money will be deducted from my check beginning in January 2005. Thinking about $200 a month.
Also do you know if the entire $2400 must be in my account before I can have surgery (which will take the entire $2400). In other words can I have surgery in January before money is vested in my account or must I wait until December 2005?
thank you so much!
Answer Hi Lori,
We offer a HSA plan where I work as well. However, we are instructed not to get into the Savings Plan part of it. We only handle the insurance side of it. There should be a company that you can go through to set up the HSA Savings Plan part of it and they should be able to help you with any questions regarding what you can/cannot use the money for. I did sit through a meeting just on our own company's HSA plan and I believe that I myself understood that the money could be used for a lot of various things that are not usually allowed under the insurance side and that is one of the reasons it was so attractive. Also now with the HSA you are suppose to be able to roll your money over each year that you did not use. When they were first developed & called HSA's you could not do that. http://healthsavingsaccount.com/ So, I apologize I cannot specifically answer your question but who ever you set the savings account up with should be able to.
