Using a Health Savings Account to Pay for Alternative Medicine

Health Savings Accounts allow you to set up abody's own healing powers, which can be
tax-deductible account to pay for medical expensesstrengthened through the use of certain foods,
that are not covered by your healthvitamins, herbs, or other "natural"
insurance.�These include expenses to covertreatments.�Traditional Chinese Medicine
your deductible, and other medical expenses like(TCM) is based on ancient Chinese theories about the
dental and eyeglasses.�But many don't realizebalance of yin and yang.�Ayurvedic medicine
that HSA funds can be used to pay for virtually anyis based on principles of movement, metabolism, and
type of medical service, as long as it pertains to thestructure.
treatment or prevention of a specific health condition.Part of the growing use of complementary therapies
Because money withdrawn from a health savingsis a reaction to the costs, side effects, and
account to pay medical expenses is tax-free, anyonephilosophy of conventional allopathic
who has an HSA can funnel all alternative medicalmedicine.�Physicians get much of their
expenses through their HSA and get a taxcontinuing education from the pharmaceutical
write-off.�This could include biofeedback,industry, and they work in an environment where the
naturopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy,insurers and the patients are both looking for a quick
magnetic healing, reflexology, and the list goes on.fix.�The result is that the average 60 year
People who use complementary therapies are oftenold is now taking 5 regular medications, yet there is
very health conscious, and go to traditional physicianslittle expectation that those drugs will ever cure the
less often.�So it does not make sense forhealth problems for which they're being
them to be paying a high premium for a traditionalused.�Many consumers see this, and instead
health insurance plan with a co-pay, particularly whenare using other methods to try to get to the root of
their medical treatments are not coveredtheir illness.
anyway.�Instead, many are choosing a lowWhat is Considered a "Qualified Expense"
cost high-deductible HSA plan.Qualified medical expenses have been partially defined
Alternative Therapies Becoming Mainstreamin IRS Publication 502, and through various federal
Many hospitals are now offering complementarycourt rulings.�There is no definitive list, but
treatments.�The website for the Memorialthere are really very few restrictions as long as the
Sloan-Keating Cancer Center states thatprocedure is for the treatment or prevention of a
complementary therapies are used to "help alleviatespecific health condition.�For instance, you
stress, reduce pain and anxiety, manage symptoms,could not use your HSA funds to pay for a relaxing
and promote a feeling of well-being."massage for your own personal
Some group health insurance plans are beginning topleasure.�But if your doctor recommends
cover more complementary expenses, but there isyou get a massage for specific medical reasons, this
still very little coverage for these expenses inis considered a qualified expense.�Yoga
individual or family plans.�Those that coverwould not normally be considered a qualified medical
chiropractic limit coverage to 12 - 20 visits per year,expense, but it would be if it was recommended as a
and a few will cover a limited amount ofphysical therapy following some sort of accident.
acupuncture.�But very few if any coverSome may question why the government would give
hypnotherapy, Reiki, iridology, or faith healers.a tax deduction for someone to use some crazy
Why Complementary Medicineenergy vibration machine to cure their
The conventional medicine practiced by most MDs iscancer.�But this is as it should
called allopathic medicine.�The philosophy ofbe.�No one but you should be able to decide
this system is to treat disease and injury usingwhat type of treatment you will use for your own
counteractive methods.�For instance, if youillnesses.�By empowering individuals to
have a fever you may take aspirin to make it gomanage their health as they see fit, HSAs encourage
down, if your cholesterol is elevated you may take apersonal responsibility and help loosen the monopoly
statin to reduce it, if you have heartburn you mayon healthcare that conventional medicine has had for
take an antacid.�The thinking is mostlythe past few decades.
focused on removing the symptoms of disease, andBy Wiley Long - President, HSA for America ( - The
the primary treatment modalities are surgery andnation's leading independent health insurance firm
prescription drugs.specializing in individual and family coverage that
But there are other ways to look at things.works with a Health Savings Account.
Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief in the