Open enrollment for 2021 Health FSA ends October 31
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, October 28 — Open enrollment for the Health Flexible Spending Account Plan (FSA) 2021 benefit will end on October 31, 2020. Members must enroll in the Health FSA every year — FSA enrollment is not automatic each year so interested members should act soon so they do not miss out on enrollment for the 2021 Plan Year.
A negotiated benefit obtained in the 2012 National Agreement, the Health FSA lets you put pre-tax dollars deducted from your paycheck into a special account to help pay for eligible medical, pharmacy, dental and vision expenses. When you enroll, you choose your FSA contribution amount. You can contribute as little as $10 per month ($120 annually), all the way up to $229.17 per month ($2,750 annually). If the IRS raises the maximum in 2021, you will be able to elect up to that amount.
Administered by United Healthcare, the Health FSA provides you with a special Health Care Spending Card to easily pay for eligible FSA expenses. It’s connected to your flexible spending account so there is no need to write checks or submit claim forms.
To help with planning, the FSA Calculator Tool on the Your Track To Health website allows you to input annual estimated out-of-pocket costs for medical services (such as deductibles, co-payments, eye exams, dental exams, etc.), then shows you how much money you will save on taxes by using the FSA. The Your Track to Health website also provides a list of common eligible expenses, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and a brief description of how the plan works.
Except as noted at the end of this paragraph, locomotive engineers and Tex-Mex train service employees covered by the Health & Welfare portion of the National Agreement, dated January 5, 2012, are eligible to participate in the FSA Plan. The national FSA is distinct and separate from the on-property BNSF FSA Plan and while that Plan also requires annual registration, BNSF engineers are not required to participate in the open enrollment described in this News Flash. Also, BLET members subject to the September 16, 2011 UTU National Agreement are currently eligible to participate in the Health FSA program provided for in that Agreement.
An informational flyer (PDF) is available to help answer questions about the Health FSA.
Please be sure to register by the October 31 deadline! For more details about the Health FSA, which is administered by United Healthcare, please visit the Your Track To Health website.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
bentley@ble-t.org