FSA, HSA, HRA & Massage Therapy

Will insurance pay for my massage therapy? The short answer is 'Maybe.' Massage Therapy is eligible for reimbursement with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA).

Employers typically offer FSA, HSA, and HRA and allow you to use pre-tax money to pay for qualified medical expenses. Often you are given a credit card attached to these accounts to directly pay for services or submit receipts to your provider for reimbursement.

However, IRS requires your primary physician to write you a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) or a prescription for massage to treat a specific condition such as stress, arthritis, back pain, depression, carpal tunnel, diabetes, sports-related injuries, etc. The prescription for massage should include the frequency and duration of the massage. In addition, you will need to submit a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) to your provider annually to renew this benefit.

At your massage session, please let your therapist know that you will submit the massage expense for FSA, HSA, or HRA reimbursement and the condition you are treating. We also encourage you to send us a copy of the scanned LMN for your files. You can email your prescription to info@creativewellnessstrategies.com or bring a printed copy to your next session.

Generally speaking, most experts recommend keeping proof of qualifying expenses on file for at least 3 years. If the IRS audits your company's plan, you will need the LMN, copies of the receipts, and your massage treatment notes supporting condition treatment. If you can't provide documentation, you will be required to repay the expense. Creative Wellness can make this easy for you. Once we have your paperwork on file, everything you need for documentation will be readily available in our online system.

Additionally, Creative Wellness can charge your FSA, HSA, or HRA credit card attached to your account for massage services. If you submit your receipts for reimbursement, our online scheduling system will send you a receipt via email, or you can log into the system at any time to get your receipts. We encourage you to check with your provider to see if there is any additional information you need to file with them prior to reimbursement. Please note that add-ons, gratuities, and unapproved services may not be eligible for reimbursement.