Comments on: Open Enrollment Season – Check Your Spending

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Note: if anyone has any helpful information about HRAs out there, I’d love to hear it. I have trouble (and my doctors and doctor’s receptionists seem to as well) with deciphering my plan. I have a high deductible Aetna plan that switches between deductible and HRA, but the HRA contributions are often unclear. I supplement this with a regular FSA, which works well, but I want to make sure I’m making the most of my health plan. Any advice or referalls to helpful sites is welcome. Thanks.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Another nice thing about FSAs is that you may be able to file claims for each year as late as March (be sure to check with your HR coordinator). In addition, a little known fact is that if you put aside FSA money for the year, and then leave the company (planned or unplanned with notice), whatever FSA money you have spent and filed a claim for is yours even if your payroll deductions hadn’t caught up yet (be sure to check with your HR coordinator on this one). I found out about that at a previous job and asked for clarification because I wasn’t sure I’d heard right. I’m not suggesting you abuse the privilege, but it is good to know you won’t be penalized, and may inadvertently be rewarded for being organized (filing your claims as you go).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:56:00 +0000

There is simply no excuse for leaving that FSA money on the table, aside from forgetting – which isn’t really an excuse! If you don’t need it for health insurance co-pays, then do as this post recommends and allow the FSA to fund your lead into the new year with a surplus of contacts (or solution, or some other approved item that you use a lot). Thanks for the sound advice!
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com

By: Catie Fitzgerald

Catie Fitzgerald — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:33:00 +0000

One more neat fact about FSA’s…most plans allow you to get reimbursement as you incur medical expenses even if you don’t have the full amount in your account yet (such as early in the year). As long as the expense doesn’t exceed the total you will put in for the year, you get your money now. Check with your Benefits Coordinator in HR to see if your plan has this feature.