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Using A Health Savings Account To Pay For Alternative Medicine

By Wiley Long

Americans spend over $30 billion each year on complementary and alternative therapies, mostly out of their own pocket.That is because few health insurance plans cover expenses like homeopathy, acupuncture, or Chinese medicine.But if you own a Health Savings Account, these expenses are 100% tax deductible.

Health Savings Accounts allow you to set up a tax-deductible account to pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health insurance.These include expenses to cover your deductible, and other medical expenses like dental and eyeglasses.But many don’t realize that HSA funds can be used to pay for virtually any type of medical service, as long as it pertains to the treatment or prevention of a specific health condition.

Because money withdrawn from a health savings account to pay medical expenses is tax-free, anyone who has an HSA can funnel all alternative medical expenses through their HSA and get a tax write-off.This could include biofeedback, naturopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy, magnetic healing, reflexology, and the list goes on.

People who use complementary therapies are often very health conscious, and go to traditional physicians less often.So it does not make sense for them to be paying a high premium for a traditional health insurance plan with a co-pay, particularly when their medical treatments are not covered anyway.Instead, many are choosing a low cost high-deductible HSA plan.

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Alternative Therapies Becoming Mainstream

Many hospitals are now offering complementary treatments.The website for the Memorial Sloan-Keating Cancer Center states that complementary therapies are used to “help alleviate stress, reduce pain and anxiety, manage symptoms, and promote a feeling of well-being.”

Some group health insurance plans are beginning to cover more complementary expenses, but there is still very little coverage for these expenses in individual or family plans.Those that cover chiropractic limit coverage to 12 – 20 visits per year, and a few will cover a limited amount of acupuncture.But very few if any cover hypnotherapy, Reiki, iridology, or faith healers.

Why Complementary Medicine

The conventional medicine practiced by most MDs is called allopathic medicine.The philosophy of this system is to treat disease and injury using counteractive methods.For instance, if you have a fever you may take aspirin to make it go down, if your cholesterol is elevated you may take a statin to reduce it, if you have heartburn you may take an antacid.The thinking is mostly focused on removing the symptoms of disease, and the primary treatment modalities are surgery and prescription drugs.

But there are other ways to look at things. Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief in the body’s own healing powers, which can be strengthened through the use of certain foods, vitamins, herbs, or other “natural” treatments.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on ancient Chinese theories about the balance of yin and yang.Ayurvedic medicine is based on principles of movement, metabolism, and structure.

Part of the growing use of complementary therapies is a reaction to the costs, side effects, and philosophy of conventional allopathic medicine.Physicians get much of their continuing education from the pharmaceutical industry, and they work in an environment where the insurers and the patients are both looking for a quick fix.The result is that the average 60 year old is now taking 5 regular medications, yet there is little expectation that those drugs will ever cure the health problems for which they’re being used.Many consumers see this, and instead are using other methods to try to get to the root of their illness.

What is Considered a “Qualified Expense”

Qualified medical expenses have been partially defined in IRS Publication 502, and through various federal court rulings.There is no definitive list, but there are really very few restrictions as long as the procedure is for the treatment or prevention of a specific health condition.For instance, you could not use your HSA funds to pay for a relaxing massage for your own personal pleasure.But if your doctor recommends you get a massage for specific medical reasons, this is considered a qualified expense.Yoga would not normally be considered a qualified medical expense, but it would be if it was recommended as a physical therapy following some sort of accident.

Some may question why the government would give a tax deduction for someone to use some crazy energy vibration machine to cure their cancer.But this is as it should be.No one but you should be able to decide what type of treatment you will use for your own illnesses.By empowering individuals to manage their health as they see fit, HSAs encourage personal responsibility and help loosen the monopoly on healthcare that conventional medicine has had for the past few decades.

About the Author: By Wiley Long – President, HSA for America (http://www.health–savings–accounts.com) – The nation’s leading independent health insurance firm specializing in individual and family coverage that works with a

Health Savings Account

.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=115537&ca=Medicines+and+Remedies


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Tips For Choosing The Right Vacuum Trailers For The Job

byadmin

There are many different types and styles of vacuum trailers on the market. There are those designed for septic pumping services and those which are specially designed to be used in the oil field or in municipal and urban environments. Anywhere there is the need to pump material into or out of a system there will be a need for this specialized type of equipment.

Construction

Typically most vacuum trailers or vacuum tanks on trucks are designed and constructed with stainless steel or carbon steel. Both are very durable, strong and resistant to corrosion and damage even in extreme use conditions. This can include hauling both waste materials, as with a septic pumping service, to cleaning out lagoons, car wash holding tanks, and even bulk used oil tanks.

Generally stainless steel vacuum trailers are used for oilfield and industrial applications. This is because of the corrosion resistance offered by the stainless steel ensures full compliance with all required regulations. For other uses, including transport of waste materials, carbon steel may be an appropriate material.

What to Consider

As the name implies, vacuum trailers and vacuum trucks work by creating a change in pressure, a vacuum, within the tank to draw liquid, slurry or waste materials into the tank. There are also an increasing number of applications for vacuum trucks and trailers to pull up solids, which are often seen in construction and new urban site development projects.

The size of the pump, and the amount of vacuum created, will determine the distance from the truck and the volume of material which will be drawn into the tank. The size of the tank and the amount of vacuum created should be considered when choosing a particular design and model.

Determining the size of the truck and the associated vacuum trailers is really a function of the type of use. For a septic cleaning system a small-sized truck mounted tank may be all required. In oilfield work or for larger industrial waste removal vacuum trailers with larger storage capacity are the ideal choice.

Investing in vacuum trailers for either a local business or for a large oilfield company has its benefits over subcontracting services. Choosing to work with a top manufacturing company with years of experience in designing and building top vacuum trailer styles for general and specialty uses is always the best option.