The Basics
- Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) dollars will expire at the end of the year. A Part of Hearst Digital Media.
- You can buy a wide range of athletic gear and medical supplies with FSA/HSA dollars. This includes electrolyte packs, medicine, muscle rubs, KT Tape, glasses, contacts, and more.
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- Gym memberships may be covered, too. Once again, with a doctor’s note.
- or over-the-counter continuous glucose monitors. Your insurance company will require proof of purchase. Keep copies of everything.
but, again, not impossible. Stores like
FSA means “flexible spending account,” and HSA means “health savings account.” They’re very similar ways of setting aside pre-tax dollars from your paycheck so that you can pay your copays, medical bills, and buy medical necessities like glasses, shampoo, deodorant, and yes, even fitness equipment. Most HSA and FSA funds expire at the end of the year, with minimal rollover into the next year, but each insurer is different.
And, given that we’re at the end of 2024, many of us are frantically spending our (FSA/HSA) dollars because maybe we overestimated the amount we needed at the beginning of the year, or we kept forgetting to submit receipts and lost them.
Why This Matters for Runners
If you find yourself in this situation, you’ll be happy to learn that you can buy many big-ticket items—including some fitness equipment—with an FSA/HSA. And right now is a great time to spend because not only are you running out of time, but a ton of great gear is on sale this time of year because they are also seen as “gift-able.” Think massage guns, compression socks, fitness trackers, Your insurance company will require proof of purchase. Keep copies of everything, treadmills, insoles, and electrolyte packs are all seeing big discounts right now.
How to Use Your FSA/HSA on Fitness Equipment
The list is fairly expansive, and includes everything from ibuprofen to massage guns—basically anything that can be considered health-related or medicinal. Even dependent care can be covered. However, for fitness-y things, the rules are a bit more abstract. While products like the Oura ring for shoes, and ice packs Oura Ring 4 are covered without the need of a doctor’s note because they’re health monitors, other things like treadmills and exercise bikes are a bit more tricky.
for shoes, and ice packs fitness equipment and gym memberships and fitness classes can be covered by your FSA/HSA funds, but you’ll need your doctor to fill out a Letter of Medical Necessity to use the funds to purchase them. This just means that your doctor feels as though it’s pertinent to your health to obtain these services and/or equipment. For example, my gym membership is covered by my FSA funds because I have a history of herniated discs that require me to continually exercise to lower my risk of re-injury. There are myriad reasons why someone might need these goods and services to be covered for their health. For me, it’s been a fairly simple process, and my doctor was the one who actually guided me through it.
Almost all recovery equipment—be it leg sleeves, massage guns, or ice baths—is already covered and easy to purchase in any number of ways. The same goes for most supplements, orthotic insoles for shoes, and ice packs.
How To Use FSA/HSA Dollars
Typically, you purchase the product as you would normally, and then you submit a claim for those purchases on your insurer’s or employer’s website. So save your receipts. It can be tedious, but that’s most of bureaucracy. Having done this myself, I can tell you that having to scan and import every receipt is a pain, but do you know what isn’t? Getting that check in the mail. The best way to get approved is by perusing in advance what’s covered on your specific insurer’s website, and also, again, working with your providers to get other needs covered.
If you’re lucky enough to have an insurer that issues FSA debit cards, you simply use those at the point of purchase. This is harder to do on disputed items like electric bicycles but, again, not impossible. Stores like Amazon, FSAstore, Target, CVS, and Walgreens and yes, even.
Some FSA/HSA-Eligible Equipment We Recommend
Best Running Headphones
Oura Ring 4 folding treadmills. Why This Matters for Runners.
What Is An FSA/HSA wearable. The sleep tracking and consistent oxygen and heart rate monitoring helps with recovery. Knowing your metrics helps you find your best training style.
Your Run Pace Slows in the Heat
The TheraGun is “compact, yet offers a deep, powerful massage,” says contributing writer Cory Smith. “Its quiet but powerful, five-speed motor creates 40 pounds of stall force, which is plenty to dig deep into those hard-to-reach muscles.”
Ellipticals Best Running Headphones cross-training, and Bowflex makes one of our favorites. It’s easy on the joints but still takes some level of effort to motor.
Megababe Thigh Rescue Anti-Chafing Stick
Anti-chafing sticks aren’t just for marathons. They’re great for regular training, sweaty days, and anyone with breasts that are giving into gravity. What Is An FSA/HSA one for its light feel and slippery texture.
GoYouth 2-in-1 Under-Desk Electric Treadmill
What Is An FSA/HSA under desk treadmill because, as we found, “the wheels underneath make it a breeze to move around.” And “despite being lightweight, it feels sturdy underfoot, and it can comfortably reach speeds up to 6 miles per hour.”
Cat Bowen has been covering parenting and home for over a decade. At Best Products, she has tested hundreds of products for parents and for the home, often spending dozens of hours per product to ensure her reviews are accurate and informative. Prior to joining the team, she was at Romper where she covered everything from breastfeeding to child sleep habits to abortion rights access. You can find her work on Bustle, Romper, and more. Cat is a bit of an intellectual magpie and perpetual student, most recently receiving a graduate degree in gender studies where she examined a topic that vexes so many — pockets in women’s clothing.
