Good news!

Last fall, when we were going through open enrollment for insurance (through work) for the 2009 calendar year, we decided to put about $500 of pre-tax income into a medical flex spending account (FSA). We estimated it based on the cost of our regular (recurring) monthly prescription co-pays and over-the-counter medicines, doctor/dentist/optometrist co-pays, plus a little bit extra to cover any additional expenses. 

We haven't had any visits to urgent care or the emergency room this year, but we did get stuck with almost $400 worth of physical therapy co-pays that we weren't expecting at the time we signed up for insurance & the FSA. 

It turns out that the information we initially received about the various insurance plans had indicated that physical therapy was supposed to be completely covered - with no copay. When we inquired about it, they found out pretty quickly that it was an error on the employer's informational packets. After months of back & forth on what could be done, they finally told us that they would deposit an extra $375 into our FSA to cover the error.  

We still owe $270 (it hasn't been billed yet, but we know it's coming), so this will cover that and also reimburse us for what we've already paid. 

Since FSA's are a "use it or lose it" account, we'll have to pay careful attention to the balance to make sure that we maximize every cent! We still have several prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to buy to cover us for the next few months, but I think we'll end up with $50-100 left... so I think one of us will be able to get a new set of glasses at Christmas!  :)  

Extra Expenses

Husband had surgery earlier this week, so we've incurred quite a few extra expenses this week. It was an outpatient procedure, and had been planned for some time now. 

We had some out of town visitors come for the surgery, to offer support, so we bought dinner on the night of surgery. I ate at the hospital for lunch, and had planned to just grab a snack for dinner at home, but our guests were hungry and in a hurry. 

We had a few copays for prescription drugs, and Husband requested some personal care items and over-the-counter drugs to help him after surgery. He also asked for several "comfort" foods from the grocery store. 

I normally wouldn't have bought most of these items, or at the very least would have only bought them on sale and/or with coupons, but it was unusual circumstances and I wanted to do whatever possible to help him be more comfortable. I ended up spending nearly $100, between the groceries, prescriptions, and meals. 

Later in the week we went to the grocery store for more food, and spend another $50. We also ordered pizza ($25), and saw a movie ($20). 

We both took most of the week off, him for surgery and me to help him. This means that I haven't been able to work any overtime, so my pay will be less on the next paycheck.