Ever wonder if your fancy Health Equity card can handle your dental bills?

Good news! You absolutely can use your Health Equity account (like your FSA) to pay for eligible dental expenses. But there’s some important fine print we need to cover.

Let’s dive into how this works, what’s covered, and how to make sure you’re not leaving money on the table when it comes to your dental care. Because who doesn’t love saving on those pricey dental procedures?

Understanding Health Equity and Dental Coverage

Health Equity is one of the big players that manages tax-advantaged health accounts like Health Care FSAs, HSAs, and HRAs. When you’re enrolled, you typically get a debit card that works like magic for eligible medical expenses – including dental work.

But not all dental procedures qualify, and there are some hoops to jump through to make sure you’re using your benefits correctly.

Dental Expenses You Can Actually Pay For

According to the Health Equity program guides, these dental services are generally covered:

• Regular cleanings and exams
• Fillings, extractions, and root canals
• Crowns and other dental treatments
• Braces and orthodontia (hello, straight teeth!)
• Dentures and dental implants
• X-rays for dental diagnosis

The key thing to remember is that the expense needs to be primarily for preventing or treating dental disease – not just making your smile prettier. That means cosmetic procedures like teeth whitening usually don’t make the cut.

How to Actually Use Your Health Equity Card at the Dentist

Using your Health Equity card at the dentist is pretty straightforward:

1. Swipe and go: Use your card at checkout just like a debit card
2. Save those receipts: Even if you use the card directly, keep documentation
3. Submit claims later: If you paid out-of-pocket, you can submit for reimbursement

For reimbursement, you’ll need documentation that includes:

• Patient name (who got the work done)
• Provider name (your dentist)
• Service date
• Description of what was done
• Amount paid (especially what insurance didn’t cover)

Pro tip: Attach your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your dental insurance if you have it. Your FSA will only cover what insurance didn’t pay for.

Important Things to Know Before You Swipe

Before you start using that Health Equity card for every dental visit, keep these limitations in mind:

• Insurance comes first: Your dental insurance must be used before your FSA kicks in. The FSA covers only your out-of-pocket costs after insurance has paid its part.
• Contribution limits apply: For 2024, you can only contribute up to $3,200 to an HSA if you have individual coverage ($6,450 for family coverage) and $3,200 to an FSA if you’re single.
• Use it or lose it: With most FSAs, you either need to use the funds within the plan year or lose them (though some plans offer grace periods or limited rollovers).
• Medicare and dental: If you’re on Medicare, remember it generally doesn’t cover routine dental work, so your Health Equity account becomes even more valuable.

Why This is Actually a Smart Financial Move

Using your Health Equity card for dental expenses is like getting a discount on all your dental work. Here’s why:

1. You’re using pre-tax dollars instead of after-tax money
2. For someone in the 24% tax bracket, that’s like getting a 24% discount on dental care
3. It helps you budget for healthcare expenses throughout the year
4. You can afford better dental care without breaking the bank

Keeping Records (Because the IRS Loves Paperwork)

To avoid headaches down the road:

• Keep detailed receipts for at least 3 years
• Save all EOBs from your dental insurance
• Use the Health Equity portal to track your expenses
• Review eligible expenses before big dental procedures

The IRS provides a comprehensive list of qualified medical expenses that includes most legitimate dental care.

The Bottom Line on Using Health Equity for Dental

Yes, you can use your Health Equity card for dental expenses – and it’s a smart financial move! Just make sure you’re following the rules, coordinating with any dental insurance you have, and keeping good records.

By understanding how your Health Equity benefits work with dental care, you can save money, reduce your taxable income, and maybe even afford that dental work you’ve been putting off.

And that’s something to smile about.