Flexible spending account question
Dec. 22nd, 2008 11:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
javasaurusMy Google-fu is more like Google-fubar this morning. Sigh.
Is it possible to get a flexible spending account (FSA) for health care, other than through your employment? I've Googled this every which way I can, and yet, I keep finding information for employees. Specifically, can this be done if you are retired?
If you don't know what an FSA is, here is a
Brief description of an FSA
At work, I'm able to have money withheld each pay period for a "flexible spending account" and then I can draw on this account to cover medical bills (including co-pays, over-the-counter drugs, glasses, etc.) that insurance doesn't cover. I decide how much to put in each year, and if I don't use it all by the end of the year, I lose the excess. So why do it? Tax benefits -- the dollars that you put into the account are pre-tax, and do not get taxed when used. So your co-pays and over-the-counter meds are paid with non-taxed money. If you spend a thousand dollars a year on medical expenses, using such a plan might save you $200 to $300 per year, depending on your income tax rate.
Is it possible to get a flexible spending account (FSA) for health care, other than through your employment? I've Googled this every which way I can, and yet, I keep finding information for employees. Specifically, can this be done if you are retired?
If you don't know what an FSA is, here is a
Brief description of an FSA
At work, I'm able to have money withheld each pay period for a "flexible spending account" and then I can draw on this account to cover medical bills (including co-pays, over-the-counter drugs, glasses, etc.) that insurance doesn't cover. I decide how much to put in each year, and if I don't use it all by the end of the year, I lose the excess. So why do it? Tax benefits -- the dollars that you put into the account are pre-tax, and do not get taxed when used. So your co-pays and over-the-counter meds are paid with non-taxed money. If you spend a thousand dollars a year on medical expenses, using such a plan might save you $200 to $300 per year, depending on your income tax rate.
