Health Spending Accounts (HSA) and Massage Therapy in Petaluma

A Health Spending Account (HSA) is a health insurance arrangement akin to a savings account for medical expenses. For example, a health insurance company like Blue Cross offers an HSA account to members for services like massage therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. Members can deposit pre-tax dollars into their HSA account and use the funds for these services. Typically people can save between 30-40% on out of pocket fees for sessions annually.

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is similar to an HSA, but the funds deposited must be used within a calendar year. HSA accounts can roll over.

Steps to take to see if massage therapy is covered by an HSA account:

  • Ask your Human Resource or health insurance company if massage therapy is covered.

  • Schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Physician. Explain your symptoms. See example below~

“I am experiencing neck pain when I awake in the morning. It hurts to turn my head. This has been going on for a month.”

Chronic conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, sciatica, low back pain, and more are usually covered in an HSA arrangement. You can ask your physician to prescribe massage therapy.

Important items to note on aPrescription 

  • Reason for massage therapy

  • Number of sessions per month

  • Length of time of massage therapy session. Eg., 1 hour or 1/2 hour

 
 

Payment to Provider

You can pay a massage therapist with an HSA debit card or seek reimbursement. A receipt should be issued in either case.

BlogAmanda WongsonegoroComment