Gentlemen, if you have a healthcare benefits account, like a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA), you have a great tool at your fingertips to help you manage your personal healthcare and pay for it too. You don’t need to be a fitness nut or have aspirations to become a superhero in order to take care of yourself.
Here’s a list of healthcare tips and ideas in recognition of men’s health month.
Men’s Health and Eligible Medical Expenses
Don’t be so shy
For many men, the thought of a prostate or testicular exam makes them squeamish. However, when it comes to detecting cancer, it’s time to stop being shy and put on your bravest face.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. For testicular cancer, the rate is about 1 in 250 men.
Cancer screenings are eligible healthcare expenses with your FSA or HSA. Talk to your doctor during your next check up.
Silence is golden
For many men, snoring is an issue. If it’s a regularly occurring problem, it can be a nuisance for your significant other too. Issues caused by snoring include breathing interruptions, waking from sleep, and putting strain on the heart. These can lead you to being tired during the day, which can lead to even bigger problems.
Depending on the cause, you can use your healthcare benefits account to get relief. Saline rinses are an FSA-eligible expense, as are nasal strips (with a prescription). If you suffer from sleep apnea and need a CPAP machine, that is also covered by your benefits account.
Keep it safe between the sheets
A famous musical group once sang, all you need is love. However, you also have to be careful. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise. More than two and a half million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in the United States in 2021.
Believe it or not, condoms are an eligible medical expense. Not only can condoms help prevent the spread of disease in sexually active adults, they can also keep it from spreading to newborn babies, who can contract syphilis from their mothers.
Family planning
On the other hand, if you’re ready to start a family, but have concerns about fertility, “diagnostic screenings” are covered. Many treatments can be covered with the right documentation. For example, you can get testosterone treatments with a letter of medical necessity. It’s crucial that you keep records for fertility testing and any subsequent treatments for your administrator and for tax purposes.
Those glory days are (probably) over
Are your glory days over? Do you find it getting harder to drive to the basket and make the game-winning shot? Does your back and wrists fuss after a round of 18?
Get some relief for your aches and pains with orthopedic devices. Back and knee braces, wrist supports, and shoe inserts are all eligible items. You can also purchase heat and ice packs to help soothe those aching muscles and joints. You could also schedule a visit with a chiropractor to work out the kinks in your back. If you’ve really overdone it and need a little extra help, you can pay for crutches, wheelchairs, and canes with your FSA or HSA.
Stop Squinting
Are you finding it harder and harder to read that fine print or the computer screen you look at all day? Do you do the thing where you hold something close to your face then hold it far away, trying to adjust your vision? Well, you can put a stop to that.
Use your FSA/HSA to buy reading glasses, or cover the cost of prescription eye wear – including glasses and contacts. Believe it or not, contact lens solution is also an eligible expense.
These are just a handful of eligible medical expenses of particular interest to men. Celebrate your health and your manliness with your FSA or HSA.