Imagine having back pain or other muscle problems. You know that a massage chair can help with all of these issues, but these chairs are so expensive.
So, what can you use to make your personal cost go down? Maybe insurance?
Luckily, you might be able to buy a massage chair with your HSA or FSA. To find if you can and what the steps to take, keep reading along!
Is A Massage Chair HSA Eligible?
Massage chair eligibility depends on your health insurance company. You should reach out to them to verify if a massage chair is eligible with your HSA coverage.
A health savings account (HSA) is simply a bank account that can be used to pay for medical costs. HSAs are typically provided with high deductible health plans (HDHP) by major insurance carriers (i.e., Anthem, BCBS, United Healthcare).
HSAs provide you flexibility with how to spend your money given it is medical related.
In regard to how they work, you and your employer can contribute to an HSA. Typically, your employer will cap how much they contribute and then the IRS limits how much the individual can put in.
In 2022, the IRS limits are $3,650 for singles and $7,300 for families. If you are over 55, you can put in an extra $1,000.
Some items that are approved by the IRS include:
- Dental Expenses (e.g., Artificial Teeth)
- Vision Care (e.g., LASIK, contacts, glasses)
- Hearing Aids
- Acupuncture
- Doctor Visits
Although massage chairs or massage therapy from therapists isn’t spelled out on the approved expense list. It also is not explicitly excluded.
After you make sure you can pay for the massage chair, just use the HSA debit card provided to make the purchase.
Is A Massage Chair FSA Eligible?
Similar to an HSA, it depends on your insurer whether or not a massage chair is an eligible expense with a FSA. You will need to reach out to the insurance company and clear that you can purchase under your “cafeteria” plan.
A flexible spending account (FSA) is another tax advantage account. However, unlike the HSA, you can lose the money in the account each year unless you use it.
FSAs are set up through your insurance policy where employees pick their benefit under a “cafeteria” plan based on Section 125 of IRS code. This allows you to contribute a specific amount each year to cover medical expenses.
With FSAs, however, you don’t own the account like you do with HSAs so you will lose the money unless your employer allows rollover of some of the funds.
Here are some of the approved FSA expenses:
- Dental Care (e.g., artificial teeth)
- Chiropractor
- Psychologist
- Reproductive Care (e.g., birth control pills)
- Acupuncture
If you review the list of items specifically excluded, you will not see massage chairs on this list. Therefore, once you are clear with your insurer, you can use the FSA debit card to purchase your relaxing new massage chair.
How To Use HSA Or FSA To Buy A Massage Chair
It can be confusing dealing with insurance. Here are the steps to buy a massage chair with your HSA or FSA benefits.
#1. Review Insurance Policy
The first place to check if you are able to cover massage chairs with your insurance is your policy. In the policy, there is a specific section that talks about medical massages.
By reading this section, you should be able to tell if the insurer can pay or not.
#2. Talk To Your Insurance Provider
After checking your insurance policy, it still may be a good idea to check with the insurer over a call. A massage chair is a big investment so having financial help from your insurance company can make a difference.
When you talk to your insurance provider you want to make sure that you can use that funds that are a part of your HSA can be used towards a massage chair.
#3. Reason For Insurance
One key requirement for using your insurance or HSA for a massage chair is having a reason for insurance. This means you will need to provide a health reason or issue as part of your insurance claim.
The most common reason for making a massage chair insurance claim is for having lower back pain. However, to be sure of your reason you should go see a doctor and confirm any issues you might have.
#4. Talk To Your Doctor
In order to provide a reason for submitting a medical claim for massages you will need to have your doctor confirm any new illnesses or recommend massage therapy for your existing ailment.
If you’re trying to confirm a new back problem or illness, the best thing you can do is be an advocate for yourself during the doctor’s visit.
#5. Order Massage Chair
Once you get all of the needed approvals for a massage chair the next steps are finding the right massage chair and then buying it with your HSA or FSA.
When you buy a massage chair with your insurance, you will either have to provide your HSA or FSA card during the transaction or you will have to submit a receipt for reimbursement after making the purchase with your personal card.
Conclusion
Buying a massage chair is an investment towards your health where massage chairs have many health benefits. However, the cost of a massage chair can get in the way for some people.
Fortunately, you might have the option of using your insurance to purchase the massage chair. You can either use your HSA or FSA that comes with your insurance policy.
But, to make sure you will want to talk to your insurance provider to see if you are eligible, get a medical reason from your doctor, and then submit the insurance claims for a massage chair.
After making sure your insurance will cover the massage chair, you will be on your way to better wellness and relaxation.
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Yoshi
Fact Checked by our Director of Wellness – Hi! My name is Yoshi! We understand that investing in massage devices is a big deal. So my team and I devote our time to thoroughly researching every single topic and product we write about. We hope you find our reviews helpful and informative.
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