Category Archives for HRA

What is a Summary Plan Description?

If you receive healthcare benefits from your employer, you should be given access to a Summary Plan Description (SPD). Your SPD provides essential details about your company’s benefits plan and

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Sleep Relief and Your Benefits

What do you get when you eat cookies in bed? Crumby sleep! Get it, crummy sleep? That joke may or may not be funny, but what’s definitely not funny is when you do get crummy sleep. Getting enough

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CDH Benefits Make Halloween Less Scary

Lots of people love Halloween, and Betty and I love to see the kids in their favorite superhero costumes! (Hint, hint!) People show their spirit by decorating houses and lawns, carving pumpkins, and dressing

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Can I have an HRA and HSA simultaneously?

As consumer-directed healthcare (CDH) accounts become more popular, people want to know how to make them work best. I’m often asked if someone can simultaneously have an HRA and an HSA. The answer

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How to Become a Better Healthcare Consumer

What is the difference between a patient and a healthcare consumer? Many consider the terms synonymous, but there are some distinct differences. Primarily, a patient receives care, but a healthcare consumer

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Captain Contributor Explains ICHRAs

Captain Contributor Explains ICHRAs An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Account, or ICHRA, is a special type of HRA that employers can use to help employees obtain health insurance

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Back to School and Your Benefits Accounts

Every parent knows how expensive the back-to-school period can be. In addition to clothing and school supplies, there are eye exams, updated eyeglass and contacts prescriptions, sports physicals, dental

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Top 5 Reasons You Need a Benefits Debit Card

Does your company sponsor Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Transit/Commuter benefit accounts? If they do, they may offer you

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FSA, HRA and HSA Benefits Funds on Debit Cards

In a 2019 survey, GOBankingRates found that more than 37% of Americans preferred using cash to credit and debit cards. Since then, the pandemic has shifted many of those opinions as people became concerned

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HRA Basics: Contributions, Eligible Expenses and More

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are employer-owned benefit accounts that allow employees to use tax-free money to pay for qualified medical expenses. This HRA overview will highlight information

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Holiday Tips to Help You Spend Your FSA and HSA Dollars

If enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you may be looking for ways to spend down your balance before the plan year ends. I’ve got some ideas to help you use up those remaining FSA dollars.

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Tips to Help Employees to Have a Great Enrollment Experience

Each Fall, typically between mid-October and mid-December, companies set aside a period of two to three weeks to allow employees to pick and choose which benefits they want for the upcoming year.

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Eye Care During a Pandemic

Eye care during a pandemic may not seem like a top priority. Taking care of our eyes is always important, both for how we see the world and how the world sees us. But, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused

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Qualified Healthcare Expenses for FSAs and HSAs

When you participate in a healthcare benefits account, such as a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA), you set aside money to help cover out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. With

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COVID-19 PPE Eligible For FSA, HRA, HSA

In March 2021, the IRS released Announcement 2021-7, which qualifies PPE bought for the primary purpose of fighting COVID-19 as eligible medical expenses under section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue

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How Does an HRA Work?

Many employers offer Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) as part of their benefits package. While most people understand how a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) works,

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VIDEO: Captain Contributor Explains Benefits Mobile Apps

Captain Contributor Explains Benefits Mobile Apps Smartphones are probably an everyday part of your life, but did you know you can use them for easy access to your benefits accounts? Whether

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HRA Plan Types: An Infographic by Captain Contributor and Betty the Benefactress

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are a key part of consumer directed healthcare and employer-sponsored benefits. In recent years, HRAs have had renewed interest from both employers and workers

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Tips for Reducing Medical Costs for Healthcare Consumers

The cost of healthcare may be a sizable portion of person’s or families’ annual expenses. In 2020, workers paid an average of $5,588 toward the cost of their coverage. Therefore, it is

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VIDEO: Captain Contributor Explains Benefits Debit Cards

Captain Contributor Explains Benefits Debit Cards No matter where you go – doctors’ offices, grocery stores, retail shops, and more – you can use a debit or credit card to pay for

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FSA vs HRA vs HSA: A Comparison with Chart

Healthcare benefits accounts can be confusing. On first glance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) look very similar. However,

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HRA Overview

Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) Overview An HRA is an employer-sponsored benefit account funded ONLY by the employer. These accounts help employees pay for qualified healthcare expenses.

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VIDEO: Betty the Benefactress Explains HRAs

"HRAs may seem complicated, but they’re actually easier to understand than you think. Check out this HRA video with me and Captain Contributor. You’ll get great information about

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Benefits Villain Rap Sheets

NEFARIOUS ACTIONS 1) Says if you're fired from your job, you aren't eligible for COBRA benefits.  FALSE!  Eligibility is not affected by the reason you left your job

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ICHRA and EBHRA: New Employee Healthcare Benefit Accounts

In June 2019, the IRS announced two new employee healthcare benefit accounts: the Individual Coverage HRA (ICHRA) and the Excepted Benefit HRA (EBHRA). This is pretty big news for businesses and employees!

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