The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) led the process of drafting a bill that will soon be introduced in the US House of Representatives. The bill seeks to raise the annual cap on flexible spending account (FSA) deposits per qualified employee to $5,000. The AAO has worked on this issue since the passage of the Affordable Care Act established an annual cap of $2,500 per employee.
Many orthodontic patients use FSAs to keep orthodontic care affordable, setting aside FSA funds on a pre-tax basis. The bill, sponsored by Ohio Congressman Steve Stivers and New Mexico Congresswoman Michelle Grisham, also states that if the FSA holder has dependents (as defined by the IRS), he or she may deposit up to an additional $500 for each dependent who is not independently eligible for an FSA through an employer.
The AAO will make the FSA legislation a primary focus of conversations during its 2015 AAO Professional Advocacy Conference, which will take place from March 2 to March 3 in Washington, DC. During the conference, the AAO will send all US members an action alert that includes the FSA bill number, requesting that members post comments supporting it on their representatives’ Facebook and Twitter pages, and/or email their representatives about the bill.
