Download Eligible expenses - Alberta Blue Cross

Your ­­Alberta Blue Cross Health Spending Account
provides a practical, affordable and tax-effective
way to meet your changing health needs.
Eligible expenses
Through your Health Spending Account,
you and your eligible dependents can be
reimbursed for medically-related expenses
not covered by your employer group plan or
provincial health care plans.
For group health/dental plan
expenses (for example, prescription
drugs, dental, physiotherapy and
vision claims):
According to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA),
if a medical expense qualifies as an eligible
claim through a group health/dental plan, then
it is eligible under your HSA. Eligible expenses
include:
• co-pay amounts and deductibles
• vision care expenses
• orthodontic procedures.
Alberta Blue Cross will validate, assess and
adjudicate these claims.
For other medical expenses
(for example, travel expenses, vehicle
modifications and home renovations):
As Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) decides
what expenses are eligible under an HSA,
Alberta Blue Cross is not in a position to
confirm whether your claims of this nature
are allowable under CRA rules and guidelines.
The CRA has published a list of general
expenses that are eligible. You may access
this list by visting www.ab.bluecross.ca/planmembers/gpm-submitting-your-claims.html and
then selecting the CRA link under the Health
Spending Account Claims heading.
It is an individual’s responsibility to determine
whether such expenses meet the criteria
outlined by the CRA and to submit such
expenses to Alberta Blue Cross using a Health
Spending ­Account Claim Form.
Alberta Blue Cross will reject claims for
expenses that are non-health related. If your
claim is unique in nature and you are unsure
whether it is eligible, we advise you
to contact Canada Revenue Agency at
1-800-959-8281 to obtain more information.
For more information
Discover how your
Health Spending
Account can
work for you!
Should you have any questions about your
Health Spending Account, please contact
Alberta Blue Cross Customer Services
toll free at 1-800-661-6995.
Customer Services representatives are
available to assist you Monday to Friday.
After hours, you may leave a message and
one of our representatives will return your
call the next business day.
Edmonton: 780-498-8000
Calgary: 403-234-9666
Grande Prairie: 780-532-3505
An Alberta Blue Cross
Lethbridge: 403-328-1785
Health Spending Account
Medicine Hat: 403-529-5553
Red Deer: 403-343-7009
Toll free at 1-800-661-6995
www.ab.bluecross.ca
(HSA) complements your
group health/dental plan—
helping to meet your
unique health care needs
with greater choice and
flexibility, and by helping
you pay for a wide range of
health-related costs not
­
covered by your plan.
®The Blue Cross symbol and name are
registered marks of the Canadian Association of
Blue Cross Plans, an association of independent
Blue Cross plans. Licensed to ABC Benefits
Corporation for use in operating the Alberta
Blue Cross Plan. ABC 81970/40483 (R2010/12­)
How does your
Health Spending Account (HSA) work?
A Health Spending Account (HSA) from Alberta Blue Cross is an innovative way for your employer
to complement your group benefit plan––providing you with the ultimate blend of choice and
flexibility.
With an HSA, credits (dollars) are allocated into a special account that you can use to pay
for eligible medical and dental expenses not covered under your employer group plan or by
provincial health care. HSA credits are funded by your employer, who may deposit a set amount
for each employee or deposit a portion of an employee’s total compensation into the HSA. The
reimbursement of expenses through your Health Spending Account is­non-taxable to you—which
means that your money goes a lot further than if you paid the same expenses out-of-pocket.
Enjoy the advantages of an
Alberta Blue Cross Health Spending Account…
Increased coverage levels
Your HSA helps you to pay co-insurance,
deductibles and amounts in excess of your
group health and dental plan limits.
Remaining balances from your eligible
health/dental plan claims automatically
flow into your HSA—meaning no
additional claim forms.
Expanded benefits
You can draw on your HSA to pay for a
wide range of health-related expenses not
covered by other plans, and for services no
longer covered by government programs.
Any medical expenses deemed by Canada
Revenue Agency as eligible for tax deduction
may be claimed through an HSA. This includes
alternative therapies, benefits excluded from
your employer group benefit plan and even
your portion of group health/dental plan rates.
Enhanced eligibility
Use your HSA to cover expenses for
financially dependent family members who
would not otherwise be eligible for coverage.
Greater flexibility and control
An HSA not only offers you more flexibility
when budgeting to meet your specific health
care needs, but also gives you more control
over funding of your health care expenses.
Favourable tax advantages
By paying health care expenses with pre-tax
dollars through your HSA, your health dollars
go further. Based on a taxation rate of 30 per
cent, for example, for every $100 of eligible
health expenses flowed through your account
you would receive reimbursement for the full
$100—versus $70 if the same expenses were
paid using after-tax dollars.
How to claim
When you submit a health or dental
claim through your plan, any unpaid balance
of an eligible claim automatically transfers to
your Health Spending Account––meaning no
additional claim form needs to be filled out.
In cases where your provider bills Alberta
Blue Cross directly for eligible products or
services through your plan (such as for directbill drug benefits), outstanding balances will
also be automatically transferred to your HSA.
When do I need to submit
an HSA claim form?
If your claim expense is not eligible
through your health/dental plan, you may
submit such expenses to Alberta Blue Cross
using an HSA claim form.
Where can I get an HSA claim form?
HSA claim forms can be found online at
www.ab.bluecross.ca/forms.html.
What expenses are eligible?
Please see the back of this brochure for
information about what expenses are eligible
through your HSA.
What is the deadline
for submitting receipts?
You are required to submit your receipts
for any expenses incurred during the benefit
year by the deadline specified by your
Health Spending Account. Please note that
this deadline is different than your health
and dental plan claiming deadline. Refer to
your benefits booklet for your HSA claiming
deadline date. We recommend that you
submit your claims immediately after incurring
eligible expenses to avoid submitting late.
Can I submit photocopies
of my receipts?
Unfortunately not. Original receipts are
required.
What if my name does not
appear on the receipt?
Alberta Blue Cross cannot process receipts
that do not identify the name of the individual
who obtained the service.
When do I get paid?
HSA payments are not issued daily, but rather
according to a payment schedule which may
have a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual
frequency depending on your plan and the
amount claimed. Please speak to your plan
administrator for more information about
your payment date.
How do I receive payment?
Health Spending Account cheques will be
mailed directly to your home address along
with a Spending Account statement. You may
also register with Alberta Blue Cross to have
payments deposited directly into your bank
account.
Direct Deposit application forms can be found
online at www.ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/30882.pdf.
Does my HSA balance carry over from
year to year if I don’t use all the credits
in my account?
An HSA can carry forward credits or
expenses for up to 12 months from the end
of the plan year in which the credits were
allocated. Refer to your benefit booklet to
determine whether your HSA carries forward
credits or expenses.
How does a Health Spending Account
work with Coordination of Benefits?
Please note that if you have multiple
coverages through a spouse, Coordination
of Benefits with another carrier may cause
exceptions in your coverage.
For additional information please refer to your employee benefit booklet.