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AssigneeMESA Insurance Administrators, Inc.
InventorThomas Michael Francis
Estimating the term…
Disclosed are methods and systems whereby an employer provides health insurance benefits to employees by a combination of (1) a high deductible insurance policy and (2) an employer-funded medical expense spending account (MESA) for each employee. The MESAs cover some health care expenses below the insurance policy deductible. Employee health care expenses below the deductible but beyond that covered by the MESA are paid for out of the employee's pocket. At the close of each plan period, any unused employer contributions remaining in the MESA are divided between the employer and the employee. The employer's share goes to cover, at least in part, the employer's health care expenditures. The employee's share is given to the employee as income. An employer may use an external administrator to establish and maintain MESAs, to process claims against MESAs, and to disburse funds remaining in the MESAs at the close of the plan period.
A method for providing health care benefits to a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A computer-readable medium having instructions for performing a method for providing health care benefits to a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A method for providing health care benefits to a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A computer-readable medium having instructions for performing a method for providing health care benefits to a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A method for distributing funds in a medical expense spending account established for a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A computer-readable medium having instructions for performing a method for distributing funds in a medical expense spending account established for a participant of an organization, the method comprising:
A method for administering a health care benefits plan for an organization with a participant, the method comprising:
A computer-readable medium having instructions for performing a method for administering a health care benefits plan for an organization with a participant, the method comprising:
A system for administering a health care benefits plan for an organization with a participant, the system comprising:
A computer-readable medium containing instructions for providing a system for administering a health care insurance benefits plan for an organization with a participant, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Administration; Management: office automation; Time management
Payment architectures: specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes: banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates generally to health insurance, and, more particularly, to employee medical expense spending accounts.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the MESA Plan Document as included below: Copyright © 1994, 1999, 2001, MESA Insurance Administrators, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
Health insurance has been part of employee compensation for the better part of fifty years. During this period, the cost of health insurance has risen until it is the second largest component of an employee's compensation. In paying for rising health insurance costs, an employer uses finds that would otherwise be available to increase other components of the employee's compensation, such as salary. As a result, employers are looking to alternative health insurance plans that maintain the level of compensation given to employees while reducing the cost of health insurance as a percentage of employee compensation and while stabilizing the cost of health insurance over an extended period.
While the appended claims set forth the features of the present invention with a particularity, the invention, together with its objects and advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
FIGS. 1a and 1b are schematic diagrams showing the participants in a combination MESA/High Deductible Health Savings (HDHS) insurance plan; FIG. 1a shows how the MESA and the HDHS are funded; FIG. 1b shows how finds flow to health care providers;
FIGS. 2a and 2b together form a flowchart of an exemplary method of paying claims against the MESA/HDHS plan;
Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable computing environment. The following description is based on embodiments of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the invention with regard to alternative embodiments that are not explicitly described herein. Section I details exemplary money flows in a combined MESA/HDHS insurance plan. For reference's sake, Section II presents an exemplary MESA plan document.
I. Exemplary Money Flows in a Combined MESA/HDHS Insurance Plan
FIG. 1a introduces some of the participants in an exemplary implementation of a MESA/HDHS health care plan according to the present invention. An employer 100 is shown with two employees, 102 and 104. This example is not meant to be limiting as the invention may be practiced with any type of organization or group and with any number of members thereof. For each employee 102 and 104 participating in the health care plan, the employer 100 establishes a MESA, 106 and 108 respectively. MESAs are defined contribution accounts established under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The employer 100 uses the MESAs 106 and 108 to reimburse the employees 102 and 104, respectively, when they incur qualified health care expenses. Internal Revenue Service Code Section 213 defines which health care expenses are “qualified” for purposes of the MESAs. The operation of the MESAs, along with the HDHS, are described in detail below.