FSA Emphasis to Increase

The upcoming open season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program-running November 10-December 8-also will see a renewed push for employees to enroll in flexible spending accounts. FSAs allow employees (but not retirees) to set aside funds to pay certain health care and dependent care costs on a pre-tax basis. During the enrollment period earlier this year for the plan year running the last six months of 2003, only about 30,000 employees signed up. That was due in part to uncertainty regarding whether agencies would pay the administrative fees on behalf of their enrollees-in the end, almost all of them said they would-as well as the late start in some agencies, notably the Defense Department, that could not get their payroll computers reprogrammed in time for the July 1 launch date.