My FSA card is frozen.
You know why?
I bought toothpaste at my dentist, and had a filling. But my papers were not in order. Since my face was blasted by radiation, I need to use a prescription toothpaste. My dentist makes it easy. I can simply ask for it, and pay there, rather than get a physical prescription and have it filled at a pharmacy. Most times, they bounce this expense, I upload receipts and then it’s approved and goes away. I picked some up in January, two of them, for $42.
They put this on my last year plan. So when I got the bounce, I logged in, saw nothing, and went about my business. It took them a few months to start snarling about it, so I uploaded my papers. Didn’t work. Then, I circled them in red and re-uploaded.
In the meantime, I had a cavity filled. I have the treatment plan and the receipt. I uploaded them when they barked, and I thought it was done.
It wasn’t.
So, now I called. Of course, where does this call go? India. Where Preetha bidibidbidees me for 10 minutes on this or that ID. Finally, we get to the heart of the matter. The paperwork for the filling doesn’t match the date of service. Sure, that one doesn’t, but the ledger I sent with it does. Nope. They need the EOB (explanations of benefits) from the insurance. WTF.
So I hung up on her, got the EOB and uploaded it.
I don’t know what it is about Indian customer service, but they light me up. I, for one, will welcome our AI overlords if I don’t have to deal with a gibbering human robot.
Fuggit, I uploaded what she wanted.
She calls me back. Apparently, we got cut off.
No we didn’t, I explained. I had enough of you, hung up, and uploaded what you wanted. So she then starts on the $42. They want either a prescription for it, or for me to pay it back.
FUUUUUUUUCK!
Houston, we have a launch. Fuggit I’ll pay it. You’ve cost me more than a lousy $42 already. I proceeded to tell her how sorry I was that I renewed this FSA. I wasn’t going to, but I did anyhow, like an idiot. I won’t next year. I calculated that it ‘saves’ me around $300 a year. BUT – Last year I couldn’t spend enough and left $55 on the table. Add to that the $342 I had to pay them back because I got sick of arguing about dental work last year, and I’m actually out money. I’ll simply add the money to my savings every paycheck and spend it as I please. I already do this, to some extent, but it’s not to cover medical expenses.
BTW – I went back on the site to pay the $42. I can’t. They put it on the last plan year. I can only upload more papers.
So I emailed them. I have to mail a paper f-ing check. What.The.Hell.
FSAs are a joke. What’s the point if they take your money, you have to spend it on a finite list of things, that need a hundred different kinds of supporting docs, and you need to spend all the money dedicated or lose it. You have three months into the new year to dig up receipts to somehow get what money is left. My company’s preferred healthplan is tailored to a younger crowd – minimal insurance and an HSA. That’s a bad deal for a geezer. They have the plan I use, which is termed the ‘premium’ plan. A traditional plan, where you can elect to contribute to an FSA.
Not next year. Not for me.
I’ll be taking a pass, thank you very much.
Inspected By Pat 