Husband's health insurance premiums (different employer) included in w

[Guest LWilson]

I hope my subject line makes it clear what I am asking . . .

The wife is calculating her deduction amount for her medical reimbursement account.

She is wondering if it is okay to include the premiums her husband is paying toward family health insurance coverage, which is offered through his employer.

[QDROphile]

Medical spending accounts cannot be used for payment of premiums for health insurance.

[Guest LWilson]

Thanks . . . this leads to another linked question . . . I take it a premium conversion plan is what you need in order to cover health insurance premiums then?

So, supposing the wife had a premium conversion plan offered through her employer . . . would she then be permitted to submit receipts for her husband's premium payments, or would she only be permitted to do it through her own employer's health insurance plan?

[papogi]

A premium conversion plan (POP) only takes the health premiums paid by an employee through through their own payroll deductions and allows then to be taken pre-tax. The husband may have one where he works for any premiums deducted from his pay, and the wife may have one where she works for any of premiums deducted from her pay. A POP of one company is completely independent of a POP of another company. There is nothing to submit for reimbursement in a POP. If your company has a POP, but you have not elected any coverage at all, then you aren't participating in the POP (Section 125 plan). If the husband is the only one with payroll deductions (family health coverage), then his premiums are being taken pre-tax if there is a POP in place at his employer. If the wife has an FSA at her employer, she can't submit for reimbursement any amounts for any health insurance for her or her husband, whether the premiums were deducted pre-tax or post-tax. I hope I'm clarifying the difference between a POP and an FSA here. Please post again if you have any other questions.

[Guest dmbusch]

What about this situation? The wife is an employee of a company with a full Section 125 Cafeteria plan (not a premium only plan). Her husband has health insurance through his employer but pays additional premiums for family coverage to cover his wife. His company does not have a cafeteria plan or a premium conversion plan. Can his wife get reimbursed through her employer's cafeteria plan for the additional premiums paid for family coverage on her husband's insurance?

[papogi]

No. The fact that the husband's payroll deductions are post-tax is not relevant. FSA's cannot be used to pay insurance premiums except in particular COBRA situations.