Method and System for Linkage of Generally Available Healthcare Accounts to Credit Card

A method for funding a card payment partly from a designated reimbursement account and partly from an issuer of a general-purpose payment card product that is used for said card payment, said method comprising the steps of:

• linking said payment card product to said designated reimbursement account;
• facilitating obtaining a payment card authorization request with a full amount and an IIAS reimbursement eligible amount included therein, based on a transaction with said payment card product at a merchant;
• facilitating interception of said request by an operator of a payment network;
• facilitating initiating a first operator authorization request, by said operator of said payment network, for said IIAS reimbursement eligible amount, from an issuer entity associated with said designated reimbursement account;
• facilitating initiating a second operator authorization request, by said operator of said payment network, for said full amount less said IIAS reimbursement eligible amount, but plus any uncertain portion of said IIAS reimbursement eligible amount, from an issuer of said payment card product;
• and
• facilitating returning to said merchant a coordinated payment card authorization response from said operator of said payment network;
• wherein said payment card product and said designated reimbursement account are managed separately.

An apparatus for funding a card payment partly from a designated reimbursement account and partly from an issuer of a general-purpose payment card product that is used for said card payment, said apparatus comprising:

• a registration site module comprising a registration site memory, at least one registration site processor coupled to said registration site memory, and a distinct registration site software module, embodied on a registration site tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, executable by said registration site processor to link said payment card product to a designated reimbursement account;
• a payment network platform module, coupled to said registration site module, and comprising a payment network platform memory, at least one payment network platform processor coupled to said payment network platform memory, and a distinct payment network platform software module, embodied on a payment network platform tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, executable by said payment network platform processor to:
• receive a payment card authorization request with a full amount and an HAS reimbursement eligible amount included therein, based on a transaction with said payment card product at a merchant;
• facilitate initiating a first operator authorization request for said HAS reimbursement eligible amount from an issuer entity associated with said designated reimbursement account;
• and
• facilitate initiating a second operator authorization request for said full amount less said HAS reimbursement eligible amount, but plus any uncertain portion of said HAS reimbursement eligible amount, from an issuer of said payment card product;
• and
• an issuer platform module, coupled to said payment network platform module, and comprising an issuer platform memory, at least one issuer platform processor coupled to said issuer platform memory, and a distinct issuer platform software module, embodied on an issuer platform tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, executable by said issuer platform processor to facilitate returning to said merchant a payment card authorization response;
• wherein:
• said payment card product and said designated reimbursement account are managed separately;
• and
• at least one of said issuer platform module and said payment network platform module is configured to facilitate initiating a funding request, for said HAS reimbursement eligible amount, from said designated reimbursement account.