FSA Letters

If you're receiving strange letters from Blue Cross Blue Shield to justify FSA purchases you're not alone. The rules on FSA purchases have tightened, and we informed everyone at Open Enrollment that you might be required to submit receipts or other backup to justify purchases on your FSA card. That's normal.

What's not normal is that some of you are being asked to submit backup for every single swipe of an FSA card, including co-pays for prescription drugs and in-network doctor visits. That's not right and we've addressed it.

But it has been good for a laugh...

Some of you have been asked by BCBS to submit an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to justify your in-network FSA swipes. Those EOBs come from...BCBS! Their FSA unit has been asking some of you to send back to them forms that they themselves generate. Even better, one lady was told not to send it back in...just read it over the phone!

And my favorite is the 1¢ solution. There was a penny difference between the amount charged and the amount paid, so BCBS sent a letter requiring 33¢ postage to the employee asking for a check for 1¢.

We've spoken to our broker who in turn has spoken to the FSA group at BCBS. We've reminded everyone that you should always take a good opportunity to stop looking foolish. They are doing some staff retraining.

If you've experienced this and thought it strange, you were right! If you continue to experience it please contact me directly. BCBS is an excellent and reliable insurer that is so large that it sometimes operates like the government. When things like this happen just please let us know.

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