This is a program available to Washoe County employees that reduces the cost of medical expenses. Open season will be in June of this year and the money will be deducted from your paycheck each pay period.

How does this help you? It allows you to deposit money into an account using pre-tax dollars. This is the same savings you get from the Hartford retirement fund. In other words, if you gross $1,000 per pay period, and put $50 into the medical account, you will only be taxed on $950. This will save you aprox. 25% on your medical bills throughout the year.

You will need to estimate how much out of pocket expenses you spend on doctors, prescriptions, glasses, dental, over the counter meds, flu shots, hearing aids and any other allowable expenses. You will need to use the money during the fiscal year or you will lose whatever is remaining.

If you look at the money you have spent on prescriptions last year and add on what doctors co-pays you paid, then include what it cost for cold medicine/ cough syrup etc. you should have an idea of the amount you have used. Then divide this by 26 (the number of pay periods) and you will come up with the amount you should put in this account every two weeks.

The nice part is that you can fax the bills to them as often as you like and you can use the whole amount even before it is deposited. As stated in the info above, if you put $50 per payday into this account and happen to have lots of unreimbursed medical expenses, you could collect the whole $1300 in six months.

This same company also uses pre-tax dollars to allow you to pay for dependent day care.

To get more information on this benefit, check out their web-site at www.afadvantage.com/flex or call WCEA member Dennis Drew at 328-3404.