Health plan management method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of funding a year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the year-to-year accruable health spending account is for a member of an employer-sponsored health plan, the method comprising:
- determining a directed contribution amount in accordance with a process comprising;
presenting an employer-funded defined contribution having a value for a given time period;
presenting at least one insurance premium option, the at least one insurance premium option defining an option cost for the given time period;
querying for a premium option selection based on the at least one insurance premium option, the premium option selection including a selection allocation less than or equal to the option cost;
receiving the premium option selection; and
calculating the directed contribution amount to the year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by subtracting either the selection allocation or the option cost from the defined contribution value;
transferring a first amount from an employer funded account to the year-to-year accruable health spending account, the first amount substantially equivalent to the directed contribution amount determined in said determining step; and
withdrawing a sum from the year-to-year accruable health spending account to reimburse the member for a medical expense,wherein;
determining the directed contribution amount, presenting the employer-funded defined contribution, presenting the at least one insurance premium option, querying for the premium option selection, receiving the premium option selection, calculating the directed contribution amount, transferring the first amount, and withdrawing the sum are all performed using a computer system.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques and apparatus for managing contributions to an accruable health spending account in an employer-sponsored plan offering a member an employer-funded defined contribution, at least one insurance premium option and the ability to specify an allocation of the defined contribution for payment of option premiums and, in turn, a directed contribution amount designated to such accruable account are disclosed. The accruable account may be used to reimburse the member for qualified medical expenses, and the member may pay any premium shortfall using a tax-advantaged process such as a premium only payment plan. Also disclosed are techniques and apparatus directed to presenting member-specific out-of-pocket expenses for a selected procedure offered by at least one health-care provider.
52 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of funding a year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the year-to-year accruable health spending account is for a member of an employer-sponsored health plan, the method comprising:
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determining a directed contribution amount in accordance with a process comprising; presenting an employer-funded defined contribution having a value for a given time period; presenting at least one insurance premium option, the at least one insurance premium option defining an option cost for the given time period; querying for a premium option selection based on the at least one insurance premium option, the premium option selection including a selection allocation less than or equal to the option cost; receiving the premium option selection; and calculating the directed contribution amount to the year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by subtracting either the selection allocation or the option cost from the defined contribution value; transferring a first amount from an employer funded account to the year-to-year accruable health spending account, the first amount substantially equivalent to the directed contribution amount determined in said determining step; and withdrawing a sum from the year-to-year accruable health spending account to reimburse the member for a medical expense, wherein; determining the directed contribution amount, presenting the employer-funded defined contribution, presenting the at least one insurance premium option, querying for the premium option selection, receiving the premium option selection, calculating the directed contribution amount, transferring the first amount, and withdrawing the sum are all performed using a computer system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of funding a year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the year-to-year accruable health spending account is for a member of an employer- sponsored health plan, the method comprising:
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determining a directed contribution amount in accordance with a process comprising; presenting an employer-funded defined contribution having a value for a given time period; presenting at least one insurance premium option, the at least one insurance premium option defining an option cost for the given time period; querying for a premium option selection based on the at least one insurance premium option, the premium option selection including a selection allocation less than or equal to the option cost; receiving the premium option selection; and calculating the directed contribution amount to the year-to-year accruable health spending account compliant with Section 105 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by subtracting either the selection allocation or the option cost from the defined contribution value; transferring a first amount from an employer funded account to the year-to-year accruable health spending account, the first amount substantially equivalent to the directed contribution amount determined in said determining step; withdrawing a first sum from a flexible spending account to reimburse the member for a medical expense; and withdrawing a second sum from the year-to-year accruable health spending account to reimburse the member for a remainder of the medical expense when the first sum is less than the medical expense, wherein; determining the directed contribution amount, presenting the employer-funded defined contribution, presenting the at least one insurance premium option, querying for the premium option selection, receiving the premium option selection, calculating the directed contribution amount, transferring the first amount, withdrawing the first sum, and withdrawing the second sum are all performed using a computer system. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification