With more than 92% of the population enjoying at least one health insurance policy, you would assume that your insurance could pay for your new massage chair. It is a fair assumption but sometimes not a practical one.
Introduction
Getting your insurance company to compensate for your new massage chair can be tricky. In fact, even if your insurance plan is eligible for compensation, it won't be 100% of what you spent for a massage chair.
Firstly, you will have to buy a massage chair with your own money. Secondly, if your insurance company agrees to pay for it, it will be around 70 to 80% of your chair's price.
Still, since modern massage chairs are expensive equipment, a 70 to 80% reimbursement will save you a lot of money. It is anyway better than paying the entire cost of your brand new massage chair.
Is Paying For A Massage Chair From My Insurance Possible?
The process of getting your insurance company to pay for your massage chair isn't as easy as paying your medical bills.
It'll require a lot of effort and paperwork from your side if you want to persuade your insurance company. Since the insurance sector and its plans have become quite strict and stiff on the things they cover and the things they don't, you will have to do proper research and paperwork on this subject.
Also Read: Are Massage Chairs Safe During Pregnancy?
Massage therapy or massage chairs are not subjected to conventional medical policies. To be clear, massage chairs do not have any medical code in the insurance books.
So, the companies won't automatically pay you if you decide to get a massage chair. However, if you have a chronic back pain issue and your doctor has prescribed massage therapy for your medical wellbeing, you might have a chance.
Even then, you will have to convince your doctor that buying a massage chair will be a better course of action for your day-to-day pain relief. If your doctor agrees to prescribe a medical chair instead of professional massage therapy, youwill have one of the most important documents for the next part.
How To Cover The Cost of A Massage Chair Through My Health Insurance?
The therapeutic massage chair should be sanctioned as a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) from your health practitioner to get the second necessary document.
Basically, for getting recognized as 'durable medical equipment,' your massage chair should be extremely necessary, reasonable, and convenient for you. It also needs to be able to cope up with regular usage. It should be declared as domestically-safe equipment.
Along with all these, your massage chair should be serving a medical purpose. If you get these points verified and sanction your massage chair as a DME, the chances of getting reimbursed by your insurance company increase manifolds.
Also Read: What Are Massage Chairs Made Of? Can A Massage Chair Be Reupholstered?
How To Use My HSA and FSA For Funding My Massage Chair?
You can also get the massage chair's cost recovered by your insurance company if you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). An HSA is a kind of savings account where you deposit a fixed amount of your earnings for medical purposes.
The amount you deposit in your HSA is a pre-taxed account. However, there is a capping that you should be aware of. As of 2021, you and your employer can contribute up to $3,600 for single coverage and $7,200 for family coverage. If your age is more than 55 years, you can contribute an extra $1,000 in your HSA.
The amount saved in your HSA gets rolled over at the end of every financial year. You can contribute enough tax-free money in a couple of years to get a massage chair. In fact, the tax-benefit can save you up to 30% of the cost of your massage chair.
It'll also be beneficial for your insurance company for so many reasons. If you have an HSA, you just have to call your insurance manager and ask them about a massage chair's eligibility.
If you check the HSA approved expenses, you will find that expenses such as Acupuncture, Chiropractor, Physical therapy, Vaccines, Wheelchair, and many more are approved and qualified by the IRS.
Expenses for massage treatment can also be approved if a letter of medical necessity is provided. Though a massage chair is not on the list, it is also not a categorically denied item.
You can get a letter of medical necessity from your doctor regarding the importance of a massage chair for your chronic pain. If you properly make a case in front of the insurance company, you have an excellent chance of using your tax-free HSA funds for a brand new massage chair.
Also Read: Is A Massage Chair Good For Arthritis?
Similarly, you can also use some of your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) funds to buy a brand new massage chair. Though, unlike HSA, only $500 can be rolled over to the subsequent year.
Also, the FSA plan doesn't mention the inclusion or exclusion of massage therapy or massage chair in its eligible item's list.
Since it is not in the excluded items, you can try to convince your insurance company about your plan of using your FSA money to buy a massage chair. If you provide all the necessary documentation to them, you might get the approval.
Final Thoughts
Getting your insurance company to pay for a massage chair can be a tricky job, but it's not at all impossible. You just have to keep trying.
You will come across many obstacles, but we are sure that you will not get cornered. Do not hesitate to ask any sort of question from your health insurance policy manager. Make your case and make it strong.
Get all the necessary medical prescriptions if you have a chronic back pain issue. If you don't have chronic back pain, you can still try and pay from your HSA and FSA funds.
If you are looking for a perfect massage chair that can make your pain, stress, and tension go away, please call us at (833) 627-7245 or chat with our representatives. We'll help you with all of your queries.
