UPMC Health Plan Introduces `MyFlex Advan...( Members Can Use It As Both a Membersh...),Health

Members Can Use It As Both a Membership Card and Debit Card for Health-related Expenses

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health Plan eliminates the hassle and inconvenience often associated with a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with its new MyFlex Advantage card. This card - which is unique to Western Pennsylvania - serves as both a health plan membership ID card and as a debit card for out-of-pocket health care expenses.

The MyFlex Advantage card is designed for use by UPMC Health Plan members who have an FSA. In an FSA, members can save money by setting aside income from their paychecks on a pre-tax basis to cover future health care expenses. Until now, many FSAs required employees to save health care receipts and send them to an administrator to credit their account, or members had separate health plan ID cards and FSA debit cards.

All UPMC employees will be able to use the card starting in January, 2009. The MyFlex Advantage card will become available to all UPMC Health Plan members in July, 2009.

"Having one card that is both an ID card and can be used for an FSA will save our employees time and energy, while also saving them money," said John Galley, Vice President for Compensation, Benefits, and HRIS for UPMC. "There's no longer any need to save receipts in a shoebox and then submit them all together along with a claim form. Now, routine health care expenses such as copayments and coinsurance can be automatically taken from a member's FSA account.

"And, with the MyFlex Advantage card, our employees will be able to track expenses by simply going online - 24/7 - and seeing their balance."

The MyFlex Advantage card is a special purpose MasterCard (R) that provides instant access to the funds in a member's FSA account. The card also serves as a member's ID card and contain
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