HSA – Travel Expenses – IVF

Hello, I was doing some research on utilizing HSA for IVF treatment as my wife and I are traveling down to Florida to take advantage of CNY Fertility who is $12,000 cheaper than my local hospital RE services. I know that the HSA covers the IVF as a medical necessity treatment for infertility but have come across some people who have utilized it for some of the travel expenses, and know that the HSA Provider (Health Equity) and the IRA have information listing that transportation can be covered for medical treatment. The sole purpose of the trip is for the medical treatment at the clinic and requires multiple office visits for Ultrasound and Bloodwork monitoring (which is also much cheaper then the hospital/clinics), on the off days we may go to some of the local areas that may seem touristy, but we would only be looking at covering the Flight, and the hotel (only on the night(s) of the treatment/office visits).

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The lodging is primarily for and essential to medical care. – Yes for only requesting nights of treatment/visit. The medical care is provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or in a medical care facility that is the equivalent of a licensed hospital. – CNY is a licensed medical facility for Fertility Treatment The lodging is not lavish or extravagant under the circumstances. – No beachside resorts or anything unreasonable, I typically look for under $100 and decent reviews that are clean. ($50 for person is coverable) There is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel away from home. (IRS Publication 502) – This is the gray area, as the travel away from home is due to the treatment at a much lower rate than locally, it is saving us a lot of funds, and that extra $12,000 would be entered on taxes as medical expenses if I stayed locally anyway. I understand not requesting hotel for every night since some of the nights are in-between the every-other day office visits.

What do you guys think may be possible here? Reading this we would both be eligible potentially as my wife would be the patient, and I would be needed to be present for 1. the sperm at time of retrieval, 2. mandatory transportation of wife after she has the retrieval due to anesthesia, and for providing the shots for stimulation of the ovaries, which makes me essential too.

submitted by /u/spit11fire
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