H E L P !!! Flexible Spending Account-Has anyone gotten OPTIFAST paid for?

[dotofoz 0]

Hi. I will be embarking on my ever wonderful 'mandatory 2 week pre-surgical' liquid diet at the end of this week to the tune of approx. $350...Has anyone been able to get their Flexible Spending Account to pay for this, and if so, how? ANY and ALL help w/b GREATLY appreciated!:hungry:

[TracyinKS 7]

No.. it is classified as a nutritional supplement (which is NOT covered)

[tonya66 13]

I was told by my payflex if the they receive a letter that it is medical necessary, they will honor it. However, your doctor has to state it is medically necessary.

[TracyinKS 7]

I was told by my payflex if the they receive a letter that it is medical necessary, they will honor it. However, your doctor has to state it is medically necessary.

Ahhhh that WOULD make sense! That is my OFFICIAL 1 thing learned today :biggrin1:

[dotofoz 0]

Well, I have a call into a FSA supervisor that helped me get my 'membership fee' approved, so wish me luck. Believe me, this will take a LARGE financial burden off my back if I can get this pushed thru...

[MarySue33 0]

I have been on both sides of the flexible spending table -- from the HR/benefits side and on the receiving end. MY FSA reimbursed me for my Medifast program a few years ago, but we had to jump through some hoops to get there. Here is what I would recommend:

1. Like the person above indicated, you must have a doctor's note that indicates that it is medically necessary.

2. The IRS is very clear in that it will not cover 'diet foods' even if they are part of a medically necessary program. (It was stated to me like this...EVERYONE has to eat something...obese or not...so food doesn't count.) That said, if you are doing the program through a doctor, they can probably list it on your bill that you turn into your FSA in a way that does not detail it as 'diet food'. In my case, they just called it "Obesity Management Services" (which it was -- it was not a lie) and after I made the first mistake of sending my first claim in with the Medifast detailed out on the receipt, they accepted every one after that without question. They will pay for the 'services', but will not pay for the 'food'.

3. If you can get your doctor to write a note that a specific fitness plan is medically necessary, they will reimburse for that, too. I had employees whose gym memberships were allowed through their FSA as part of the same "obesity management services" umbrella.

I have also included a link below that details it in a bit more detail...

http://http://www.obesity.org/subs/tax/taxbreak.shtml

Hope this helps!

[TracyinKS 7]

Thank You Mary Sue!!!!!!!