Body contouring treatments help improve your appearance and boost your self-esteem. There are a variety of treatments that are high in demand such as Emsculpt, CoolSculpting, Endermolift, Zerona, Lipomassage and Cyber Body Slim. Paying for these treatments can become overwhelming if our health insurance policy doesn’t cover the procedure. You might wonder if your HSA or FSA accounts can be used to cover body contouring treatments.
What is an HSA?
An HSA is a Health Savings Account. To be eligible for this type of account you need to be enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan. This account can only be used for qualified healthcare expenses. Eligible expenses include dental work, orthodontia, prescriptions, health care copayments, contact lenses, and eyeglasses.
What is an FSA?
An FSA is a Flexible Spending Account or Flexible Spending Arrangement. It’s a special account that allows you to save money that goes towards paying for out-of-pocket expenses related to healthcare. There’s a long list of eligible healthcare expenses that you can cover with your FSA account. However, plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments are not eligible.
Please call us at 212-447-1155 or contact us if you have any questions about paying for body contouring with your HSA or FSA plans. You may also use our contact.
Cosmetic Procedures: FSA and HSA Eligibility
Generally, cosmetic procedures are ineligible unless the treatment or procedure is medically necessary. However, some cases are taken into consideration if the cosmetic treatment is meant to improve a personal injury, congenital abnormality or disfiguring disease.
What are the IRS regulations for cosmetic procedures?
According to the IRS, “The term “medical care” means amounts paid for a cure, diagnosis, mitigation, prevention or treatment of a disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body.”
Since cosmetic procedures are not meant to treat or prevent a specific medical condition, the cost rarely gets covered by consumer spending accounts.
The IRS regulations taxable medical deductions, IRC 213 (d) is relevant when it comes to eligibility of certain medical expenses related to cosmetic treatments even if the procedure is non-surgical. It’s up to the IRS to determine whether plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures and treatments are eligible. Currently, they are ineligible.
Obtaining a Letter of Medical Necessity for Cosmetic Procedures
In cases where cosmetic surgery is needed due to a personal injury, disfiguring disease or congenital abnormality, a letter of medical necessity can be presented to determine if the situation is eligible to be covered by an FSA or HSA.
A letter of medical necessity needs to be filled out by your doctor and state the following information:
- Patient identification
- Physician identification
- Date of the most recent evaluation
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Duration of treatment
- Medical necessity
- Summary
- Signature
Once the letter is complete it needs to be sent to the insurance company or person in charge of making decisions regarding the type of treatments eligible for HSA and FSA accounts.
If your body contouring treatments are medically necessary it will be worth it to go through the proper channels and present a letter of medical necessity.
Do you need body contouring treatments? Contact us today to make an appointment and find out about our convenient payment options!
Please call us at 212-447-1155 or contact us if you have any questions about paying for body contouring with your HSA or FSA plans. You may also use our contact.
