Third party health plan claim validation

Tony Novak online accountantQuickBooks Certified ProAdvisorNovak Online Tax & Acounting
Tony Novak, CPA, MBA, MT
(610) 572-1724   onlineadviser@live.com

View Tony Novak, CPA, MBA, MT's profile on LinkedIn

Save time and money working with an online accountant

Third party health plan claim validation

by Tony Novak, CPA, MBA, MT
, revised 5/12/2012

Federal tax law allows a business deduction for payments that an employer makes toward an employee’s medical expenses*. Most employers use a health insurance plan to handle the financial transactions of a health plan but a growing number make these payments directly to the employees or the medical service providers without insurance. Generally these payments can pay for or reimburse the employee for any qualified health care expense that is not already covered by a health insurance plan.

The payments are not considered income to the employees as long as the employer verifies the validity of the claims.

Unfortunately, this is where the law becomes difficult for employers. While federal tax law requires employers to review the details of employees’ health plan claims, another federal law commonly known as “HIPAA” expressly prohibit employers from prying into employee medical data. Even accidental knowledge of an employee’s medical details can create significant potential liability in the event of any subsequent employment conflict. Treasury Department officials addressed the legal conflict last year by adaptation of a concept known as “third party claim validation”.

Third party claim validation means that an accountant who is unaffiliated with the employer’s management team audits the health plan claims and then issues an independent written statement that can be relied on by the company’s management and the IRS.

The audit procedures used for third party claim validation vary widely between accountants but the basic steps include: 1) substantiation of transactions, 2) verification of deductibility of expenses as listed in IRS Publication 502, 3) verification that claims are not covered by another benefit plan, 4) pairing claims with available benefits under the employer health plan, 5) preparation of a written report summarizing the findings without disclosing employees’ personal medical details. Additional examination procedures are necessary when employees have access to funds through a bank debit card or other similar means.

The review does not need to be completed by a Certified Public Accountant. In fact, most of these services are performed by employee benefits consultants as part of their administrative service.

Keep in mind that this procedure does not apply to health plan expenses paid through an insurance plan, since the insurance company already reviews these claims.

* limits apply. Generally, self-employed individuals are excluded. Dollar amounts are limited starting in 2013.

Status: available for reprint

This article is available for republication in its entirety without charge after obtaining the express written permission of the author.

Pleasee-mail a request to the author that includes the name of the requestor (individual and corporate) and the intended destination of publication.


tonynovak.comThis Web site is independently owned and operated by Tony Novak operating under the trademarks “Freedom Benefits”, “OnlineAdviser” and “OnlineNavigator”. Opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not represent the opinion of any other person, company or entity mentioned. Tony Novak is not a representative, agent, broker, producer or navigator for any securities broker dealer firm, federal or state health insurance marketplace or qualified health plan carrier and has no financial position in any stocks mentioned. Novak may act as and be compensated as an accountant, agent, adviser, writer, consultant, marketer, reviewer, endorser, producer, lead generator or referrer to the companies listed on this site or other commercial companies and non-governmental insurance exchanges. Information is from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed. Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues or a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties.

141 Jones Street, Bala Cynwyd PA 19004   |   P.O. Box 333, Newport NJ 08345


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *