Reinstate Over the Counter Medication for inclusion in Flexible Spending Accounts without the need for a prescription.

OTC medications are those medications the federal government (FDA) has deemed safe enough for the public to take without the need for a prescription. Specifically, the NIH defines OTC medicines as “drugs you can buy without a prescription” (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/overthecountermedicines.html). Therefore, for the purposes of any government program, prescriptions should not be necessary for any medication the FDA has labeled OTC, by definition. The purpose of Flexible Spending Accounts is to reduce the financial burden of paying for medical treatment and medications. By requiring a prescription for reimbursement under FSA’s this puts an unnecessary burden on families by costing them additional money for co-payments and/or deductibles for doctors visits.