Flex Spending Accounts (FSA) and WLS supplements...did you know_____?

I haven't seen it posted on here before so I wanted to share something I found out recently...I hope this can help someone else!

Yesterday was my 6 month check up and I was going over my labs with my surgeon.  My labs were all really good (except my Vit D..its always been low even pr-op but it's slowly coming into the normal range).  Any who, I was telling him about the problem I'm having with getting my calcium supplements.  I used to use Calcet Creamy bites, but switched to a cheaper generic  calcium citrate because of the price.  However, I'm not taking it a regularly as I should because it's a freaking horse pill and it gives me the dry heaves for about 5 min after I've taken it.

My doctor asked me if I had an FSA account through my job (which I do) and he had the ladies up front give me a letter of medical necessity so that my supplements (vitamins, protein shakes, bars, the WORKS) will be covered under my FSA plan.  He kinda fussed at me because his line of thought is that while $$$ doesn't equal quality, if the more expensive supplements taste better and will increase my compliance, then I should purchase the more expensive ones if possible.

So I wanted to let you all know (pre and post opt) that you can get all your supplements covered through your FSA accounts which may help make things much more economical for you!  Call your surgeon's office and ask if they will send/give you a letter of medical necessity to submit with your receipts!

What is FSA?

FSA = Flex Spending Account. 

Most employers have it set up where you can put aside pre-tax dollars (usually during open enrollment each year) to pay for medical expenses for the year (dentist visists, co-pays, ect).  Until last year, they also covered the cost of OTC meds like tylenol and vitamins without a problem. 

Here's a link that explains it better than I can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_spending_account

Oh...and here's another one that I just found out about also

Medical mileage can be reimbursed through your FSA account (you don't have to wait to write it off on your taxes at the end of the year). My FSA administrator just told to this literally a few minutes ago.

I'd been keeping mileage logs of all my doctor and dentist appointments for my taxes and filing at the end of the year. She just told me that when I submit my co-pay receipt, that I can also submit for the mileage at the same time. The only documentation is need to give her is a google map printout of my "starting point" , the doctor's office, and my "ending point" (usually home but sometimes my office). The medical mileage rate according to the IRS is $0.23 per mile, but hey that's better than nothing!

I know there are quite a few of you that have to travel 1-2 hours to see your doctors, so if you have FSA, submit your mileage so you can get reimbursed for that! With gas hovering at $4 a gallon, that $0.23 per mile will come in handy!

Medical mileage?  Do tell?  This is something I have been missing on my returns!

Hedrider...here is the link to the IRS section that talks about medical deductions: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html .   And here is a link to the downloadable copy of the publication 502 that talks about medical deductions: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/index.html

Here is the quote directly from the IRS: 

Transportation

 

You can include in medical expenses amounts paid for transportation primarily for, and essential to, medical care.

You can include:   

• Bus, taxi, train, or plane fares or ambulance service,

• Transportation expenses of a parent who must go with a child who needs medical care,

• Transportation expenses of a nurse or other person who can give injections, medications, or other treatment required by a patient who is traveling to get medical care and is unable to travel alone, and

• Transportation expenses for regular visits to see a mentally ill dependent, if these visits are recommended as a part of treatment.

 

Car expenses.   You can include out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of gas and oil, when you use a car for medical reasons. You cannot include depreciation, insurance, general repair, or maintenance expenses.

 

  If you do not want to use your actual expenses for 2011 you can use the standard medical mileage rate of 19 cents a mile for miles driven from January 1 to June 30, and 23.5 cents a mile for miles driven from July 1 to December 31, 2011.

 

   You can also include parking fees and tolls. You can add these fees and tolls to your medical expenses whether you use actual expenses or use the standard mileage rate.

 

Example.

In 2011, Bill Jones drove 1,800 miles for medical reasons from January through June and 1,000 miles from July through December. He spent $500 for gas, $30 for oil, and $100 for tolls and parking. He wants to figure the amount he can include in medical expenses both ways to see which gives him the greater deduction.

He figures the actual expenses first. He adds the $500 for gas, the $30 for oil, and the $100 for tolls and parking for a total of $630.

He then figures the standard mileage amount. He multiplies 1,800 miles by 19 cents a mile and 1,000 miles by 23.5 cents a mile for a total of $577. He then adds the $100 tolls and parking for a total of $677.

Bill includes the $677 of car expenses with his other medical expenses for the year because the $677 is more than the $630 he figured using actual expenses.

Transportation expenses you cannot include.    You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of transportation in the following situations.

• Going to and from work, even if your condition requires an unusual means of transportation.

• Travel for purely personal reasons to another city for an operation or other medical care.

• Travel that is merely for the general improvement of one's health.

• The costs of operating a specially equipped car for other than medical reasons.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

What I do is I keep a log book in my glove compartment and I log my millage for work stuff that's not reimbursed and for my doctor's visits.  At the end of the year, it really adds up...especially if you drive a good distance to doctor appointments (not just RNY but ANY doctor's appointments).

For me, at the end of the year, I do the following

1. get a print out of all my prescription costs directly from the pharmacy for the year (it takes like 5 minutes for them to run the report).
2.  all my EOBs from my insurance company that details what my out of pocket costs were
3. my mileage logs

Add it all up and subtract anything that I submitted to my FSA for reimbursement....what's left over if it's over 7.5% of my AGI, I write off on my taxes using a schedule A

Bummer. It's still subject to the 7.5% rule - which I never ever exceed. Oh well thanks bunches for the info and the link!!!

LOL. I love using my FSA account for everything. I remember posting that my FSA would cover it a few months ago and got the "you shouldn't get to use your FSA account for that" speech. LOL. Glad to see someone else also using it like it's meant to be used! Those monthly pills/protein/etc. can really add up! I actually only use it for my supps those months that things might be tighter than others which helps a lot.

Why would you get that speech...I mean we ARE using it the way it's supposed to be used.  FSA accounts are used to pay out of pocket medical expenses that are not covered by insurance.  Since one of the "side effects" of RNY is the need to take additional supplements (vitamins, protein, etc.) and since they are NOT covered by insurance....that would meet the definition of out of pocket medical expenses.  I don't think that's a stretch nor is it "bending the rules".

With gas in DC at $4 a gallon...EVERY MONTH IS TIGHT...and getting tighter!  So I plan to submit my receipts for my supplements and I'm going to start submitting my mileage for my doctor visits.

I don't think the responder was upset with the vitamin idea but was put off by the idea that I was using it to buy protein supplements because she thought they aren't "required". However, at 2 1/2 years out, i find I still have days where I have a hard time trying to hit my protein goals with real food.