Are you interested in buying a massage chair, but you’re not sure if you can afford it? Fortunately, you may be able to use your HSA (Health Savings Account) to help pay for the purchase. Health savings accounts can be used to cover various medical expenses, including the cost of a massage chair if it is deemed medically necessary. Below, we’ve put together a guide that can explain how to get insurance to pay for your massage chair in a few simple steps.
Will My Insurance Pay for My Massage Chair?
This is the answer everyone wants to know, and unfortunately, we can’t answer this question. Depending on your insurance plan, the answer could be a straightforward “yes” or “no.”
If you’ve already paid your deductible, it’s unlikely your insurance will pay for the massage chair in its entirety. However, before you pay for the whole thing out of pocket, consider using your FSA (Flexible Spending Account) or HSA (Health Savings Account). If you have one of these two accounts, your insurance will likely cover at least some of the cost of your massage chair.
In this article, we’ll specifically look at using an HSA to pay for your massage chair.
What is an HSA?
An HSA is an individual medical account where you can deposit pre-tax earnings. You can then use these as part of your health coverage via your insurance company. Having an account like this provides greater flexibility regarding what health purposes you can use your funds for.
HSAs act as “tax havens” and thus have limits on how much can be placed in them (typically a few thousand dollars per person. Both policyholders and employers can make deposits into an HSA. Each year, your funds will roll over, and this allows you to accumulate quite a bit of capital that could be used on an item like a massage chair.
How Can I Use an HSA to Pay for My Massage Chair?
1. Read your insurance policy
Read your insurance policy to see if it will help you pay for a massage chair. You may notice that your policy has a clause on medical massages. The information in this clause will help reveal to you whether they will assist you with payment or not.
2. Reach out to your insurance provider
Even if your insurance provider has a clause regarding medical massages, it never hurts to reach out to the provider to make sure that it will apply to massage chairs. You want to double-check that having an HSA means that you can use your funds to purchase a massage chair.
3. Identify your ailment
In order for insurance to cover your massage chair, it will need to treat some kind of illness or disorder in your body. Unfortunately, they won’t just cover it because you think it would be nice to have. As such, you’ll want to identify how a massage chair will help you and an illness you’re suffering for. Then, you’ll need to meet with a doctor. The most common reason that insurance pays for massage chairs is due to chronic back problems
4. Meet with your doctor
Your doctor will need to prescribe massage therapy to you for your illness or disorder before you can move ahead with purchasing a massage chair with your HSA. If you’ve been seeing your doctor about your illness for some time, then this should be a fairly easy process. If you’re seeing a doctor for the first time, make sure you cover all the symptoms you have as well as the treatment options you’ve sought. Most doctors won’t recommend massage therapy initially. However, if you believe it will help you, you can advocate for it
5. Order your chair
The next step is ordering the chair. Depending on how your HSA works, you may be able to order the chair online using the provided just like a credit card. Otherwise, you may need to receive a reimbursement from your HSA. Whatever the case, make sure you’ve done your research and have your documentation from your doctor.
Final thoughts
Getting a massage chair can help you live pain-free. Unfortunately, they’re also an investment, and if you’re not able to make the purchase without some financial help, don’t worry! Investigate whether you can use your HSA to make the purchase. This will relieve you of the financial burden and allow you to improve your quality of life.
Visit Zarifa USA massage chairs to find the right chair for you.
What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)?
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a special type of savings account designed to help individuals with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) save for qualified medical expenses. The beauty of an HSA lies in its triple tax advantage: contributions are tax-deductible, earnings grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free. This means you can set aside pre-tax dollars to cover a wide range of medical costs, including massage therapy and massage chairs, without worrying about taxes eating into your savings. Essentially, an HSA offers a flexible and tax-efficient way to manage your healthcare expenses.
Eligibility and Requirements
To open and contribute to an HSA, you must meet certain eligibility criteria. First and foremost, you need to be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). For 2022, the IRS defines an HDHP as a plan with a minimum deductible of $1,400 for individual coverage or $2,800 for family coverage. Additionally, you cannot be covered by any other health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, or a flexible spending account (FSA). It’s also important to note that individuals aged 65 or older who are receiving Medicare benefits are not eligible to contribute to an HSA. Meeting these requirements ensures that you can take full advantage of the benefits an HSA offers.
Using Your HSA for Massage Therapy and Massage Chairs
Massage therapy and massage chairs can indeed be eligible expenses under your HSA, but there’s a catch—they must be used to treat a specific medical condition. For instance, if you suffer from chronic back pain and a massage chair helps relieve tension and alleviate your pain, then the cost of the chair may qualify for reimbursement from your HSA. However, if you’re simply looking to use the massage chair for relaxation or general well-being, it likely won’t be considered a qualified medical expense. The key is to have a legitimate medical reason for the purchase.
How to Use Your HSA to Purchase a Massage Chair
To use your HSA funds to buy a massage chair, you’ll need to follow a few important steps. First, obtain a letter of medical necessity (LMN) from your healthcare provider. This letter should clearly state that the massage chair is necessary to treat a specific medical condition, such as chronic back pain or fibromyalgia. Once you have the LMN, you can use your HSA funds to purchase the massage chair. Depending on your HSA provider, you might be able to pay directly using your HSA debit card, or you may need to pay out of pocket and then request reimbursement. Either way, ensure you keep all receipts and documentation to support your claim.
Important Considerations and Limitations
When using your HSA to purchase a massage chair, there are several important considerations and limitations to keep in mind. First, the massage chair must be used to treat a medical condition, and you’ll need a letter of medical necessity from your healthcare provider. Additionally, the cost of the massage chair should be reasonable and necessary for your treatment. It’s crucial to keep all receipts and documentation to support your expense in case of an audit. Lastly, remember that HSAs have annual contribution limits, so plan your contributions accordingly to ensure you have enough funds to cover your medical expenses. By keeping these factors in mind, you can make the most of your HSA and enjoy the benefits of a massage chair for your health and well-being.
