Health insurance reimbursement for Binax AG tests

[Chauncey Picklepants]

Has anyone successfully gotten a health insurance reimbursement for their Binax test kits? 

[LadyShiva]

Yes, I have.  IRS (US) allows reimbursement under diagnostic tests.  Use your shipping receipt for your proof artifact.

[zerooveride]

1 hour ago, LadyShiva said:

Yes, I have.  IRS (US) allows reimbursement under diagnostic tests.  Use your shipping receipt for your proof artifact.

OP asked about Health Insurance reimbursement, not the IRS. IRS doesn't reimburse anything. They can use the cost as a medical expense under the tax deduction for medical expenses (if they itemize their deductions and meet a certain threshold).

 

As for your insurance, I would be surprised if they would, especially if it is for travel. Every insurance carrier will be different so you would need to reach out to them to ask. What my insurance company may do, could be very different than what yours may do. Call the number on the back of your Insurance card.

 

 

[billslowsky]

4 minutes ago, zerooveride said:

OP asked about Health Insurance reimbursement, not the IRS. IRS doesn't reimburse anything. They can use the cost as a medical expense under the tax deduction for medical expenses (if they itemize their deductions and meet a certain threshold).

 

As for your insurance, I would be surprised if they would, especially if it is for travel. Every insurance carrier will be different so you would need to reach out to them to ask. What my insurance company may do, could be very different than what yours may do. Call the number on the back of your Insurance card.

 

 

And even if covered, it may be completely out-of-network which doesn't get it paid for.

[CruisingSince1982]

Yes, ours is covered (blue cross).

[orville99]

The easiest thing to do is to fill out the reimbursement form from your insurance provider (ours is Blue Cross), attach the receipt from eMeds, and send it in. They will either reimburse you or deny reimbursement, but either way, you will get a better answer than you would ever get on a chat board.. 

[bouhunter]

33 minutes ago, orville99 said:

either way, you will get a better answer than you would ever get on a chat board.. 

Good point 🙂

 

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, LadyShiva said:

Yes, I have.  IRS (US) allows reimbursement under diagnostic tests.  Use your shipping receipt for your proof artifact.

Filing with irs is a tax write off under medical expenses, not a reimbursement.

[billslowsky]

40 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Filing with irs is a tax write off under medical expenses, not a reimbursement.

The reimbursement comes from your HSA or FSA medical spending account.  If you funded it.

[LadyShiva]

For everyone who took issue about me mentioning the IRS: the IRS sets the rules for what your Healthcare flexible spending accounts can be utilized for.  They ruled in 2020 that the Covid tests can be reimbursable expenses under a flexible spending account, which is where I personally (successfully) applied for reimbursement.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

3 minutes ago, LadyShiva said:

For everyone who took issue about me mentioning the IRS: the IRS sets the rules for what your Healthcare flexible spending accounts can be utilized for.  They ruled in 2020 that the Covid tests can be reimbursable expenses under a flexible spending account, which is where I personally (successfully) applied for reimbursement.

 

I'm confused....isn't a Flexible Spending Account different than being reimbursed by medical Insurance? OP's question was about Insurance reimbursement. 

[LadyShiva]

Just now, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

I'm confused....isn't a Flexible Spending Account different than being reimbursed by medical Insurance? OP's question was about Insurance reimbursement. 

Honestly, it depends on their insurance (here in the US).  Everything is specific to what they enrolled in, but at the US Federal level, the IRS cleared the path for reimbursement for these diagnostic tests.  The OP also mixed words and concepts (most employed people can opt into Healthcare reimbursement plans, while retired people have Medicare or Tricare they would seek reimbursement from).

 

For example, I can walk into a Kaiser Permanente pharmacy and use my flexible Healthcare spending card to pay for something I pull off their shelves AND my prescriptions. Other people's insurance may offer those particular tests for free in lieu of setting up their own drive thru testing laboratories.  In certain library districts, their libraries are giving out the proctored COVID tests for free.

 

There is no one path for these COVID tests or health insurance in the US.

 

I hope that helps with understanding the generational differences in this thread for understanding OP's question.

[ryano]

I have a MIA (My Incentive Account) account through Anthem BCBS where I get points (dollars) to be used for reimbursement of copays and basically anything medical related after completing my yearly well being assessment and other things. My plan also actually covers COVID tests for travel reasons but was told I cant be reimbursed because it didnt come from a licensed testing facility or healthcare professional.  I also have 5 testing kits I have zero use for.   

[poocher]

Yes, you can use your FSA or HSA to pay for it as an Unreimbursed medical expense.  But that is quite different than your health insurer reimbursing you for the test.  You can submit a claim but I THINK (JMHO), it will be denied.  

Edited September 20, 2021 by poocher

[billslowsky]

55 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

I'm confused....isn't a Flexible Spending Account different than being reimbursed by medical Insurance? OP's question was about Insurance reimbursement. 

When medical doesn't pay (or cover) you apply for reimbursement through the spending account.  They are complementary. 

 

Some people won't be covered or reimbursed through their insurance.  Do you think it's beneficial to omit this information?

[suzyluvs2cruise]

24 minutes ago, poocher said:

Yes, you can use your FSA or HSA to pay for it as an Unreimbursed medical expense.  But that is quite different than your health insurer reimbursing you for the test.  You can submit a claim but I THINK (JMHO), it will be denied.  

 

Exactly...

 

6 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

When medical doesn't pay (or cover) you apply for reimbursement through the spending account.  They are complementary. 

 

Some people won't be covered or reimbursed through their insurance.  Do you think it's beneficial to omit this information?

 

Not everyone has an FSA....OPs question was about Health Insurance reimbursement so I'd say "yes" to omit info about FSA. 

[orville99]

47 minutes ago, ryano said:

also have 5 testing kits I have zero use for.   

We look at the extra tests a bit differently. Once you have gone through the proctored process you know how the tests work. With cold and flu season approaching we intend to use the extra tests unproctored in the event either of us comes down with what we (pre-Covid) wound have presumed was a common cold or the flu. A quick 15-minute at home test would give us a heads up where (if anywhere) we should seek treatment.

[Chauncey Picklepants]

Thank you to those who took the time to respond.  I do indeed have a Health Savings Account and my wife just called and confirmed with them that it is a reimbursable  expense. Wouldn’t have thought of inquiring until someone on this “chat board” mentioned something about claiming it awhile back, so short of sifting through all the threads, I put it out there and here it is. Thanks! 

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Exactly...

 

 

Not everyone has an FSA....OPs question was about Health Insurance reimbursement so I'd say "yes" to omit info about FSA. 

Somehow I'm not surprised...