Arkansas Does this even make sense to anyone? HCFSA account but different Healthcare insurance

[Redemptionman]

Jurisdiction

Arkansas

I am covered under my spouses health insurance plan, this is through another carrier. My FSA is through work and I put roughly $2k worth of PreTax dollars into it in a year. I have the FSA healthcare provider is a well known hated health insurance company. They have been sending me letters and harassing me over little charges to my FSA account. I saw a sleep doctor and got CPAP a few years ago. I paid $15 bucks with my FSA for an office visit with the sleep doctor which wasn't billed till January.

The FSA account is my MONEY? I put money in it to cover eligible costs. They said they wanted an EOB from the provider which isn't them and will never be them again. I sent that in now I recieve 2 letters from them one stating the same scenario and another saying that they deemed this an overpayment on my part. Explain to me someone how I could overpay my self for an office visit? They (UHC) are not able nor should they be able to determine that since I no longer have their insurance (pun). I have another carrier but yet they have determined through some system that it is an overpayment by me.

I am not going to sue them over $15 bucks but if there is an overpayment then go to the doctor's office and get them to pay the FSA account back. This is my money and I fund it. I may look at alternatives and kill the account if this keeps up. I have no desire to spend time and postage stamps dealing with these morons.

 

[adjusterjack]

Try the health insurance forum at Reddit. Lots of professionals answering questions there every day.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HealthInsurance/

 

[cbg]

It's a little hard to follow what happened when, but FSA's go by date of service, not by date of billing, and they are use it or lose it in both directions. If the service was in 2024 (it's not clear if it was or not) then it goes against your 2024 balance, not your 2025. It has nothing at all to do with your health insurance carrier. Some FSA's allow a two and a half month grace period so that any 2024 balance can be applied to expenses incurred up to March 15th, and must be claimed no later than March 31. All of the above is Federal law - FSA's are strictly regulated at the Federal level. BTW, the law says you may have that grace period, not that you must. Your employer's Benefits office may be able to help you sort this out, but if you want to give me dates and tell me what the end date for your submissions is, well, this is what I do for a living.

 

[Redemptionman]

It's a little hard to follow what happened when, but FSA's go by date of service, not by date of billing, and they are use it or lose it in both directions. If the service was in 2024 (it's not clear if it was or not) then it goes against your 2024 balance, not your 2025. It has nothing at all to do with your health insurance carrier. Some FSA's allow a two and a half month grace period so that any 2024 balance can be applied to expenses incurred up to March 15th, and must be claimed no later than March 31. All of the above is Federal law - FSA's are strictly regulated at the Federal level. BTW, the law says you may have that grace period, not that you must. Your employer's Benefits office may be able to help you sort this out, but if you want to give me dates and tell me what the end date for your submissions is, well, this is what I do for a living.

No it is okay, I am sending them the 15 bucks back, since it was for an appointment in Oct of 24 and I am not sure if I got the bill before Jan 25. I will be more careful next time. They also are disputing a Massage I received as a medical necessity when I have had a letter of MN since 2020. I am sending them the doctors order for it. It appears that they are going out of there way to question every little charge they deem could be outside the FSA calendar year. I get a letter stating that they can cancel my debit card which I do not want to happen.