Pharmacies Streamline Processes for Reimbursing Customers From Flexible Spending Accounts
Some pharmacies have created streamlined processes for customers to file for reimbursement from flexible spending accounts, a move intended to take advantage of vague federal guidelines as the end of the year approaches and some U.S. workers must spend the funds remaining in their FSAs, the Wall Street Journal reports. For example, CVS, on its Web site, offers a personalized list of every item purchased this year that qualifies for reimbursement from an FSA for people enrolled in its customer-loyalty program, and Walgreen receipts automatically are marked with items that qualify for reimbursement. Drugstore.com has a "store-within-a-store" that features about 2,000 items that are eligible for FSA reimbursement, according to the Journal. In addition, Johnson & Johnson and Walgreen, in a "two-city test," have partnered to offer brochures with FSA guidelines that include coupons for J&J products, the Journal reports.
Questions About Over-the-Counter Drugs
The Treasury Department last year ruled that FSAs can be used for over-the-counter medications as well as prescription drugs, but the guidelines state only that items purchased for "medical care" will be reimbursed and items that are "merely beneficial" would not qualify. The ruling does not include an official list of all items that could qualify for reimbursement. As a result, drugstores have created their own lists of medications that qualify, but a "gray area" exists because of a discrepancy between what FSA account administrators and employers consider eligible, the Journal reports. Employees will not find out if some items will be reimbursed until they submit claims, and they can appeal any rejections (Lieber, Wall Street Journal, 11/17).
