Aetna offers new FSA features

aculty and staff who are enrolled in the 2004 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program can now take advantage of Aetna's Streamline/AutoDebit and Direct Deposit features, according to the Benefits Office.

The Streamline component eliminates the need to file a claim for out-of-pocket expenses, such as office visit copays, if a University Health Care Plan is the primary plan for an employee and his/her eligible dependents.

The AutoDebit component can eliminate out-of-pocket expenses as well as claim filing at the time a prescription is purchased if a University Health Care Plan is the primary plan for an employee and his/her eligible dependents. This feature automatically charges an employee's Medical/Dental FSA account and pays the pharmacy directly, eliminating the need for an employee to file an FSA claim. This process is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for prescriptions purchased directly at a pharmacy and through mail-order.

Employees who reach their annual FSA election prior to the end of the calendar year will be required to pay the applicable copays to the pharmacy directly. And employees who have not selected a University Health Care Plan as the primary plan for themselves and their eligible dependents will be required to submit a claim form for medical/dental expenses.

Also, employees will need to submit a claim form for expenses that are not processed through a University Health Care Plan, such as IRS-approved over-the-counter medications, dental expenses, and dependent care expenses. Claim forms can be obtained through Aetna or the Benefits Office and online at www.rochester.edu/working/employment/benefits/fsa.html.

The University has automatically enrolled FSA participants in the Streamline/Auto-Debit feature. Employees should consider canceling this feature if all or a portion of the expenses submitted to the University Health Care Plan would not be eligible for submission to an FSA (e.g., an employee or his/her dependents have coverage under another health care plan--IRS guidelines require that the FSA be the last plan to pay--or an employee is covering a domestic partner who is not a dependent for federal income tax purposes and whose medical expenses are not eligible for reimbursement under the FSA.)

To cancel the Streamline/AutoDebit feature, contact Aetna directly at 1-877-864-4583 or 1-888-238-6226.

In addition to the Streamline/AutoDebit feature, employees also can take advantage of the new Direct Deposit feature for reimbursement. An employee can choose to have a reimbursement deposited directly into a checking or savings account.

For more information on these FSA features, visit www.rochester.edu/working/employment/benefits/fsa.html.

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