NewsNation

What is an FSA?

In this June 15, 2018, file photo, cash is fanned out from a wallet in North Andover, Mass.

(NewsNation) — Employer-sponsored health insurance plans offer savings account plans specifically for medical and dental expenses.

One such plan is a flexible savings account, or FSA. It is an account to deposit money into to pay for out-of-pocket health care costs, such as deductibles, copayments and some pharmaceuticals.


An FSA is limited to $3,300 per year per employee, and you must use the money within the health care plan year, making it a use it or lose it option.

“Don’t put more money in your FSA than you think you’ll spend within a year on things like copayments, coinsurance, drugs, and other allowed health care costs,” according to the Health Insurance Marketplace, which is government-sponsored.

FSA contributions are not taxed, so you save a little money when paying for health care.

FSAs are only an option for people with insurance plans through a job, not a Marketplace plan. Alternatively, health savings accounts, or HSAs, are an option for people who have a Marketplace plan.