How to Use an HSA or FSA with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN)
Many people use a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for eligible health-related expenses. Some wellness or tracking tools can qualify when your clinician recommends them for a specific medical purpose. This article explains how an LMN (Letter of Medical Necessity) works and how to talk with your clinician and your plan administrator so you can try to use HSA/FSA funds for MyLabInsight.
HSA vs. FSA — The Basics
- HSA: Paired with high-deductible health plans; funds roll over year to year; you own the account.
- FSA: Employer-sponsored; generally “use-it-or-lose-it” within the plan year (some have small carryover or grace periods).
Plan rules vary. Always check your plan’s list of eligible expenses and required documentation.
What Is an LMN and When Is It Needed?
An LMN is a signed statement from a licensed clinician (e.g., physician, NP, PA) explaining that a product or service is recommended to help diagnose, mitigate, treat, or monitor a specific condition. Administrators often require an LMN for items that are potentially medical but not automatically covered, such as certain apps, devices, or wellness programs.
How MyLabInsight Fits
MyLabInsight is an educational tool that helps you organize lab values and view safe trends alongside lifestyle data (sleep, activity, weight, etc.). If your clinician believes that structured tracking of labs and related patterns will help manage a documented condition (for example, lipid management, blood-pressure monitoring context, or glucose/A1C follow-up), they may be willing to provide an LMN describing that need.
Important: MyLabInsight does not diagnose, treat, or replace clinical care. Coverage is at your administrator’s discretion.
What to Ask Your Clinician
- Describe your condition and why consistent tracking helps (e.g., “monitoring lipid trends between visits,” “organizing BP context with sleep,” “tracking A1C patterns over time”).
- Ask if they can write an LMN specifying:
- your diagnosis or ICD-10 code (if appropriate),
- the recommended tool (MyLabInsight app),
- the medical purpose (e.g., trend tracking to support ongoing management), and
- the recommended duration (often 12 months).
LMN Template (Share With Your Clinician)
[Clinician Letterhead]
Date: ____________
Re: Letter of Medical Necessity for MyLabInsight (patient: __________________)
Diagnosis/Condition: __________________ (ICD-10 if applicable)
Recommendation: I recommend the patient use the MyLabInsight app to organize lab results and view safe trends related to __________________ (e.g., lipid management, blood pressure trend context, glucose/A1C follow-up).
Medical Purpose: Regular trend tracking can support ongoing management by helping the patient observe patterns between lab values and lifestyle data (sleep, activity, weight) and prepare concise summaries for clinical visits.
Duration: ________ months (typically 12).
Clinician Name/Title/License #: __________________
Signature: __________________
How to Submit to Your HSA/FSA
- Purchase your plan (see Pricing) and save your receipt (email or PDF).
- Obtain the signed LMN from your clinician.
- Log in to your HSA/FSA portal and choose “Submit a claim” or “Reimbursement.”
- Upload the receipt and the LMN. Select the category your plan provides (often “medical equipment/supplies,” “health app/program,” or “other with LMN”).
- If asked, note that MyLabInsight is an educational tracking tool recommended to support management of the named condition (per LMN).
- Keep copies of all documents for your records.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Missing purpose in LMN: Ensure the letter clearly states the condition and medical purpose.
- Expired LMN: Many plans require renewal annually.
- Wrong documentation type: Some portals need an itemized receipt showing date, amount, and vendor (MyLabInsight).