Weight Watchers and Health Care FSAs

You may be able to use pre-tax dollars to pay for Weight Watchers at Work^®.

If a physician recommends weight loss to treat an existing condition, Weight Watchers at Work® qualifies as an allowable reimbursement under a King County health care flexible spending account (FSA). If you sign up for a health care FSA during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event, you can use pre-tax dollars to pay for the Weight Watchers program.

Because the contributions you make to a health care FSA are taken before taxes are withheld from your paycheck, your savings come from the reduction in your annual taxable gross income based on your tax bracket and the amount of your FSA contributions. Be sure to enroll in an FSA only for the amount you think you will spend in medical expenses by the end of 2010. Any FSA contributions you don’t use cannot be returned to you.

To receive reimbursement for participating in Weight Watchers, you will need to submit the following documents to FBMC, the county’s FSA administrator:

• Documentation from your physician stating a medical diagnosis of obesity or an obesity-related disease and providing a referral for you to participate in Weight Watchers.
• Proof of payment, such as paid invoices, receipts or your Weight Watchers Membership Book stamped with your paid attendance.

If you have a health care FSA this year, you must re-enroll during this year’s open enrollment, November 2-20, if you want an FSA next year. 

For more information about health care FSAs, visit the county’s FSA Web site.