Health Savings Account-Health Savings Account Info

Peter W asked:


I would appreciate some comments on the following situation: I live in Los Angeles and have a health savings account and medical insurance with United Healthcare. Recently, I cut my finger and went to the locat ER. I got five stitches and two weeks later, got them removed. I was stunned when I got a bill for $1,500. The ER is IN my network of providers. I got the negotiated rate which was approximately 80% of the full rate. My question is: can I negotiate the $1,500 with the hospital?
Thanks….

Lane Magouirk

verentoll asked:


I broke my toe about three months ago (I was pretending to be The Flash and I met my microwave stand nemesis!) and didn’t head into the doctor’s office. Foolish, I know! I didn’t tape it to another toe either, and it healed incorrectly. I’m assuming the bone healed wrong because it still hurts if I put my full weight on it. I have no health insurance because I’m in a job transition, but I do have a Health Savings Account with a bit of money in it. I’m financially strapped right now, so I can’t afford anything, and the crux of my issue is whether I should wait until I find a new job (and continue limping around) or hope I have enough money to pay for the whole thing with what’s left in my HSA account. Problem is it’s hard to gauge prices!

Charlie Goldinger

TLH713 asked:


Hello. I posted a question last night. My question was that I was pulled over this past weekend, in light traffic, and the offiicer stated that I was he pulled me over b/c when he ran my plate, just randomly, that I came back as a person with an expired Visa. He clearly saw that I would have no reason to have a Visa..even laughed about it. I had him double check his info..he came back to my car and stated he called dispatch..and they confirmed his reasoning. I called DMV today, as he instructed me to, and they have NO record of any of this. What concerns me is that a few months ago I applied for a HSA account which is a health savings account and that came back with a concern on my identity. I had to prove who I was. I finally did get my HSA cards ( my spouse is an engineer for Homeland Security in NYC). So..who is right? The officer or the DMV? How could the officer make this mistake, if that is truly what happened? He ran me twice..If a cop is out there..can you answer this 4 me? Ty
To Sunshine..yes I am an American. I was born here..and both sides of my family have lived in the same area for at least 5 generations. I have neve rleft the country..not even the East Coast..lol..Anyway..to all who replied, Thank You..I’m going to look into this further..maybe it isn’t in DMV’s sytem..but the officer saw it in his..which was honetly my question. Can a cop see soemthing like that..that DMV can’t? I’m so nerve racked..that I’m typing as fast as my brain is thinking..The officer was very pleasant. That’s why in a way..I trust him more so than the lady on the phone at MV..lol..Anyway..I’ll contactthe credit agency’s, etc. Hopefully – it was just a simple mistake. Thanks to all and enjoy your day.

Vincenzo Sassone

curiouslina59 asked:


Father/sister out of the country but are both naturalized US citizen. Dad has health problems – can’t sign withdrawal slips. Direct deposit checks go to their separate accounts. He wants my sister to be able to w/draw funds from both accounts. If she can how can I be sure sister will not abuse or to make sure she does it only w/Dad’s approval? What forms do they need to complete?

Irwin Timchula

rorybellows asked:


I know what the error is, I did not enter the amount of my employer’s contribution to my health savings account, which when I check in TurboTax makes my refund amount about $430.00 less than what was accepted by the IRS. The rep told me that it was in their errors resolution department and there was an error that was being fixed, he was unable to confirm that the HAS amount that was missing was the reason, but this was the only problem with my tax return, oversight on my part. Now am I going to have to submit a 1040x with the correction or will the IRS be able to fix it and still deposit my return since they have record of my W-2 and what was missing? If so what kind of turnaround should I expect. This has caught me completely off guard. It has not been rejected so do they typically fix these types of error internally and submit the refund or do I need to provide them with something by mail?

Chauncey Peckens

Enigma asked:


I was told this is is plan for healthcare…………..It is time to take back our health care. This is why I support:

Making all medical expenses tax deductible.
Eliminating federal regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage.
Giving doctors the freedom to collectively negotiate with insurance companies and drive down the cost of medical care.
Making every American eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA), and removing the requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening an HSA.
Reform licensure requirements so that pharmacists and nurses can perform some basic functions to increase access to care and lower costs.

Additional bills he sponsored:
(They reduce health care costs)

HR 3075 provides truly comprehensive health care reform by allowing families to claim a tax credit for the rising cost of health insurance premiums. With many families now spending close to $1000 or even more for their monthly premiums, they need real tax relief– including a dollar-for-dollar credit for every cent they spend on health care premiums– to make medical care more affordable.

HR 3076 is specifically designed to address the medical malpractice crisis that threatens to drive thousands of American doctors- especially obstetricians- out of business. The bill provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit that permits consumers to purchase “negative outcomes” insurance prior to undergoing surgery or other serious medical treatments. Negative outcomes insurance is a novel approach that guarantees those harmed receive fair compensation, while reducing the burden of costly malpractice litigation on the health care system. Patients receive this insurance payout without having to endure lengthy lawsuits, and without having to give away a large portion of their award to a trial lawyer. This also drastically reduces the costs imposed on physicians and hospitals by malpractice litigation. Under HR 3076, individuals can purchase negative outcomes insurance at essentially no cost.

HR 3077 makes it more affordable for parents to provide health care for their children. It creates a $500 per child tax credit for medical expenses and prescription drugs that are not reimbursed by insurance. It also creates a $3,000 tax credit for dependent children with terminal illnesses, cancer, or disabilities. Parents who are struggling to pay for their children’s medical care, especially when those children have serious health problems or special needs, need every extra dollar.

HR 3078 is commonsense, compassionate legislation for those suffering from cancer or other terminal illnesses. The sad reality is that many patients battling serious illnesses will never collect Social Security benefits– yet they continue to pay into the Social Security system. When facing a medical crisis, those patients need every extra dollar to pay for medical care, travel, and family matters. HR 3078 waives the employee portion of Social Security payroll taxes (or self-employment taxes) for individuals with documented serious illnesses or cancer. It also suspends Social Security taxes for primary caregivers with a sick spouse or child. There is no justification or excuse for collecting Social Security taxes from sick individuals who literally are fighting for their lives.
So in other words he has no healthcare plan or else he is lying through his teeth.

Kam Fogt

Sophie asked:


Can I put a medical expense on a credit card and then use my HSA (Health Savings Account) to pay the credit card? The amount of money from my HSA would exactly match the amount of the medical expenses, I’m not trying to get away with anything.

Princess Valen

bethbird1960 asked:


Hiltle killed the imperfect disabled with the jews because they burdened society. Putting the price of healthcare too high to reach and punishing the sick can cause them to lack care and die. They cannot take cost of taxes due to low income and yet too high of cost for insurance that denies care anyway is a problem and health savings account are not saveable due to paying for what health care they can including medications and higher uncontrolled prices. Are we a country of Hitlers running insurance companies? The dollar is the god here.
note to American Woman:

I myself cannot afford insurance and was working 60-80 hours a week to pay for ongoing care while not being able to pay for the medications I needed. I used 35% of my income for them alone not to mention blood levels and counts to see if I was okay. Employers would read the healthform for your insurance and you would be left go with no explanation. This is a issue of what to do to help those in need without judgement and keep them working. I ended up on social security when medicaid denied me and I had no money to pay premiums or medication costs allowing me to get very ill.
I would give anything to be able to be in a position to not let this happen to anyone again. I would be sure to set up the programs with overlapping features to save money and to direct a person to Pharm programs if just over the limit which current ones do not. Doctors could cooperate with the states allowing them to give their patients medications and save money toward the doctors fees instead. Now with a deduction on top in taxes to cover is more than I had, but there could be even more done synergistically so Federal and State programs do not respend monies and are streamlined to work with open communications, but secure ones.

Michael Crutchfield

bgznkitties asked:


What is the 2009 Health Savings Account contribution limit? I read that it was $3000. but I wanted to be sure.

Verlie Goldfield

Gonetoday asked:


I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a couple years ago. I was doing well on the CPAP machine in the beginning, but lately it seems like its not putting out air as powerfully as it did in the beginning. Although I told my doctor that I believe the problem is the machine, he says that I still need to be “retested” since its been a while since I was diagnosed. I have a new insurance, well, a Health Savings Account with a $2,500 deductible awaiting. Retesting will cost a minimum of a few thousand dollars. I wanted to try to purchase the machine myself online, but you need a prescription to purchase one. Is there a way around this? Also, I once heard someone mention they were using a CPAP machine but were unable to get use to wearing it at night. Instead, they were fitting with some type of “dental device” that they insert during the night to keep their airway open. They said they haven’t used their CPAP machine since. Has anyone ever heard of such a device? Do you know what the name of it is?

Efrain Cayce