Over the County Drugs Added to Flex Spending Accounts

Good news this week for taxpayers overburdened by the cost of over-the-counter drugs for their families each year. These purchases can now be paid for with pre-tax dollars through health care flexible spending accounts, according to new guidance issued by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

The guidance clarifies that reimbursements for nonprescription drugs by an employer health plan are excluded from income. Thus, reimbursements by health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) and other employer health plans for the cost of over-the-counter drugs available without prescription are not subject to tax if properly substantiated by the employee.

Drugs are increasingly becoming available over-the-counter without prescription. Many health plans no longer cover the cost of these drugs as over-the-counter. While an over-the-counter drug is less expensive than the prescription drug, the cost to many consumers increases because the price paid by the consumer for the over-the-counter drug is greater than the co-payment by the consumer when the drug was covered by insurance. This is especially an issue for individuals who remedy chronic health problems by regularly taking an over-the-counter medicine.

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