HSA/FSA
Beyond the Numbers: Are Body Composition Scales HSA/FSA Eligible?
How to leverage your HSA/FSA for a smart scale and smarter you.
June 3, 2024
Sam O'Keefe
Co-founder & CEO of Flex
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
Every January, over a third of all Americans vow to improve their fitness, lose weight, or stick to a healthier diet. Good on them. Unfortunately, more than 9 out of 10 folks fail to meet their mark, with half giving up in the first 3 months!
Many factors play a role, but it is common for folks to focus on the easily observable, like body weight or how they look in the mirror. The issue is that these are a limited way to track success, and can be demotivating when progress slows down.
Enter the body composition scale, which is like a fitness tracker for your bathroom. These smart devices help measure how your body is transforming beyond looking at weight (which can be misleading) and the eye test (which doesn’t tell the full picture). Instead, they arm you with a wealth of information so you can make more informed decisions — and stick to your goal.
Out with the old and in with the new, smarter scale, we say. Read on to learn more about body composition scales, how they work, and if they are HSA/FSA eligible.
What We’ll Cover About Paying for Body Composition Scales With Your HSA/FSA
Why Should You Consider a Body Composition Scale?
Unlike traditional scales that only tell you how much you weigh, body composition scales measure more of what you’re made of: fat, muscle, water, and bone mass.
This provides a comprehensive picture, because by knowing your ratio you can tailor your fitness and diet plans more effectively.
Why body composition matters
You might be thinking, "isn't weight the only thing I need to know?" Not quite.
Weight is just one piece of the health puzzle, and it’s more important to have a healthy balance of fat, muscle mass, water and bone density. Here’s a quick overview of how each impacts health:
Body fat: Too much can increase your risk for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Meanwhile, too little can lead to hormonal imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, weak bones, fatigue, and decreased immune function.
Muscle mass: Muscles power everything you do and are important to maintain as you age. Having strong muscles can help protect you from injury and a higher muscle mass tends to help keep your fat percentage lower because of improved insulin resistance and an increased basal metabolic rate.
Bone density: This is considered a “silent” change in the body because most people don’t show symptoms of bone density loss. Generally, people’s bones tend to lose minerality as they age, which increases the risk of fractures and breaks. In fact, low bone density (osteopenia) affects about 43 million adults in the U.S., while studies suggest that 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
Water: It is vital to your body’s functions and can help regulate temperature, maintain blood pressure, flush waste, and lubricate joints, among many other things.
By tracking these variables with a body composition scale you can be proactive about your health.
(You could even take it a step further and analyze your metabolic system, but that’s a subject for another article 😉).
Health tracking on autopilot and the importance of actionable data
A body composition scale is like a fitness tracker for your body's internal landscape. It provides a stream of data, allowing you to track trends, monitor progress, and identify areas for improvement. Imagine seeing your muscle mass steadily climb or your body fat percentage decrease — that's some strong motivation!
The info gained from body composition monitoring also helps you personalize your approach. You might discover your muscle mass growth has stalled, prompting you to adjust your workout routine. Conversely, a high body fat percentage might lead you to focus on calorie reduction.
Even more, data is action — research suggests that tracking these health measures encourages more physical activity.
How do Body Composition Scales Even Work?
Body composition scales typically utilize Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This technology sends a low-level electrical current through your body. Since muscle tissue conducts electricity better than fat, the scale measures the resistance and uses this data to estimate your body composition.
Are body fat scales accurate? How do they differ from a DEXA scan?
A body fat scale is a quick and accurate body composition monitor, but DEXA scans are considered the gold standard of body fat measurement tools and composition analyzers.
DEXA scans use low-dose X-rays to differentiate between bone, fat, and muscle mass with extremely high precision. However, you’ll need to break the bank for one, and they’re not even available in many medical institutions.
If you’re not dealing with a medical issue or planning on becoming a pro bodybuilder, a body composition scale offers a great balance of accuracy and practicality.
What are the different types of body composition scales?
There are many different body composition scales, ranging from basic models to more advanced ones which provide detailed body composition analysis. You can narrow them down to three categories:
Basic BIA scales: Measure body fat percentage and sometimes muscle mass.
Advanced BIA scales: Offer a more detailed breakdown, including visceral fat, metabolic age, and more.
Smart scales: Connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing you to track your data over time through an app. They typically come with additional functionality like coaching or diet or exercise recommendations.
What can you do with the data from your body composition scale?
Get stronger, healthier, skinnier — whatever you want! The information from these home health monitoring devices can inform various aspects of your health and fitness routine and your everyday life. You can:
Track your progress: Monitor changes in body composition over time to assess the effectiveness of your diet and exercise programs.
Set goals: Use the detailed metrics to set more informed and realistic health goals.
Adjust your health habits: Tailor your diet and exercise plans based on your body composition data to achieve better results.
What to Look for in a Body Composition Scale
The world of body composition scales is vast, so here's a cheat sheet to navigate your options:
Technology: Look for BIA technology with multiple electrodes for increased accuracy.
Data & functionality: Choose a scale that measures and tracks multiple metrics relevant to your goals. Consider features like smartphone app integration and goal-setting options.
Claims & data: Be wary of unrealistic claims. Opt for scales with reputable brands that prioritize data transparency.
Regulations: While most scales are not FDA-approved medical devices, some may have FDA clearance for specific measurements.
Weight limit: Ensure the scale can accommodate your weight.
Our Recommendations: Top Body Composition Scales
Here are a few options in the body composition scale market, each offering unique features to empower your health journey:
The Hume Body Pod: Your Comprehensive Wellness Hub
Hume’s Body Pod isn't just a scale, it's a wellness concierge. This innovative body scan device goes beyond body composition, measuring metrics like sleep quality and heart rate variability. The design seamlessly integrates with the Hume app, allowing you to track trends, set goals, and receive personalized insights. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting your fitness journey, Hume provides the comprehensive data and support you need to thrive.
FitTrack: Simplicity Meets Functionality
For those seeking a user-friendly and reliable option, FitTrack scales are a champion. Their sleek design complements any bathroom and the intuitive app makes analysis a breeze. FitTrack’s body fat and body composition monitor prioritizes accuracy, utilizing advanced BIA technology to deliver dependable data and science-based feedback for an effective weight loss tool. With features like goal setting and progress tracking, FitTrack keeps you motivated and informed, making it a perfect choice for anyone looking to take a data-driven approach to health improvement.
Tanita: A Legacy of Trusted Innovation
Tanita is a leader in body composition technology, boasting a long-standing reputation for quality and accuracy — in fact, they are U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) approved professional scales! Their products offer a variety of features to suit different needs, from basic models to professional scales with advanced metrics like visceral fat analysis. Tanita prioritizes user experience, ensuring their scales are easy to use and integrate seamlessly with their app. For those seeking a reliable brand with a proven track record, Tanita is a trusted choice.
Are Body Composition Scales HSA/FSA Eligible?
Yes! Body composition scales (or bioimpendance scales) are considered to be medical devices and are HSA/FSA eligible expenses, unlike regular digital scales, which require a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Still, it’s recommended to check with your HSA/FSA provider and the scale manufacturer to make sure the items you want to purchase are HSA/FSA approved!
How Flex Can Help You Buy Body Composition Scales with Your HSA/FSA
As we mentioned, many body composition scales are considered to be medical devices. As such, they are a qualified medical expense so you can use your HSA or FSA debit card, or pay for it out-of-pocket and get reimbursed.
However, not all online retailers can accept HSA or FSA payments. You’ll know if this is the case because your card will be declined. That’s where we come in: if an ecommerce company has partnered with Flex, such as Tanita, FitTrack, or Hume, they can because we allow purchases to be auto-substantiated. What that means for you is the payment will go through so you won’t need to submit for reimbursement!
Want to uncover more HSA and FSA-eligible products? Flex Market offers a wide range of items from our partner brands. Check out how to make the most of your HSA and FSA dollars.
Every January, over a third of all Americans vow to improve their fitness, lose weight, or stick to a healthier diet. Good on them. Unfortunately, more than 9 out of 10 folks fail to meet their mark, with half giving up in the first 3 months!
Many factors play a role, but it is common for folks to focus on the easily observable, like body weight or how they look in the mirror. The issue is that these are a limited way to track success, and can be demotivating when progress slows down.
Enter the body composition scale, which is like a fitness tracker for your bathroom. These smart devices help measure how your body is transforming beyond looking at weight (which can be misleading) and the eye test (which doesn’t tell the full picture). Instead, they arm you with a wealth of information so you can make more informed decisions — and stick to your goal.
Out with the old and in with the new, smarter scale, we say. Read on to learn more about body composition scales, how they work, and if they are HSA/FSA eligible.
What We’ll Cover About Paying for Body Composition Scales With Your HSA/FSA
Why Should You Consider a Body Composition Scale?
Unlike traditional scales that only tell you how much you weigh, body composition scales measure more of what you’re made of: fat, muscle, water, and bone mass.
This provides a comprehensive picture, because by knowing your ratio you can tailor your fitness and diet plans more effectively.
Why body composition matters
You might be thinking, "isn't weight the only thing I need to know?" Not quite.
Weight is just one piece of the health puzzle, and it’s more important to have a healthy balance of fat, muscle mass, water and bone density. Here’s a quick overview of how each impacts health:
Body fat: Too much can increase your risk for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Meanwhile, too little can lead to hormonal imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, weak bones, fatigue, and decreased immune function.
Muscle mass: Muscles power everything you do and are important to maintain as you age. Having strong muscles can help protect you from injury and a higher muscle mass tends to help keep your fat percentage lower because of improved insulin resistance and an increased basal metabolic rate.
Bone density: This is considered a “silent” change in the body because most people don’t show symptoms of bone density loss. Generally, people’s bones tend to lose minerality as they age, which increases the risk of fractures and breaks. In fact, low bone density (osteopenia) affects about 43 million adults in the U.S., while studies suggest that 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
Water: It is vital to your body’s functions and can help regulate temperature, maintain blood pressure, flush waste, and lubricate joints, among many other things.
By tracking these variables with a body composition scale you can be proactive about your health.
(You could even take it a step further and analyze your metabolic system, but that’s a subject for another article 😉).
Health tracking on autopilot and the importance of actionable data
A body composition scale is like a fitness tracker for your body's internal landscape. It provides a stream of data, allowing you to track trends, monitor progress, and identify areas for improvement. Imagine seeing your muscle mass steadily climb or your body fat percentage decrease — that's some strong motivation!
The info gained from body composition monitoring also helps you personalize your approach. You might discover your muscle mass growth has stalled, prompting you to adjust your workout routine. Conversely, a high body fat percentage might lead you to focus on calorie reduction.
Even more, data is action — research suggests that tracking these health measures encourages more physical activity.
How do Body Composition Scales Even Work?
Body composition scales typically utilize Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This technology sends a low-level electrical current through your body. Since muscle tissue conducts electricity better than fat, the scale measures the resistance and uses this data to estimate your body composition.
Are body fat scales accurate? How do they differ from a DEXA scan?
A body fat scale is a quick and accurate body composition monitor, but DEXA scans are considered the gold standard of body fat measurement tools and composition analyzers.
DEXA scans use low-dose X-rays to differentiate between bone, fat, and muscle mass with extremely high precision. However, you’ll need to break the bank for one, and they’re not even available in many medical institutions.
If you’re not dealing with a medical issue or planning on becoming a pro bodybuilder, a body composition scale offers a great balance of accuracy and practicality.
What are the different types of body composition scales?
There are many different body composition scales, ranging from basic models to more advanced ones which provide detailed body composition analysis. You can narrow them down to three categories:
Basic BIA scales: Measure body fat percentage and sometimes muscle mass.
Advanced BIA scales: Offer a more detailed breakdown, including visceral fat, metabolic age, and more.
Smart scales: Connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, allowing you to track your data over time through an app. They typically come with additional functionality like coaching or diet or exercise recommendations.
What can you do with the data from your body composition scale?
Get stronger, healthier, skinnier — whatever you want! The information from these home health monitoring devices can inform various aspects of your health and fitness routine and your everyday life. You can:
Track your progress: Monitor changes in body composition over time to assess the effectiveness of your diet and exercise programs.
Set goals: Use the detailed metrics to set more informed and realistic health goals.
Adjust your health habits: Tailor your diet and exercise plans based on your body composition data to achieve better results.
What to Look for in a Body Composition Scale
The world of body composition scales is vast, so here's a cheat sheet to navigate your options:
Technology: Look for BIA technology with multiple electrodes for increased accuracy.
Data & functionality: Choose a scale that measures and tracks multiple metrics relevant to your goals. Consider features like smartphone app integration and goal-setting options.
Claims & data: Be wary of unrealistic claims. Opt for scales with reputable brands that prioritize data transparency.
Regulations: While most scales are not FDA-approved medical devices, some may have FDA clearance for specific measurements.
Weight limit: Ensure the scale can accommodate your weight.
Our Recommendations: Top Body Composition Scales
Here are a few options in the body composition scale market, each offering unique features to empower your health journey:
The Hume Body Pod: Your Comprehensive Wellness Hub
Hume’s Body Pod isn't just a scale, it's a wellness concierge. This innovative body scan device goes beyond body composition, measuring metrics like sleep quality and heart rate variability. The design seamlessly integrates with the Hume app, allowing you to track trends, set goals, and receive personalized insights. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting your fitness journey, Hume provides the comprehensive data and support you need to thrive.
FitTrack: Simplicity Meets Functionality
For those seeking a user-friendly and reliable option, FitTrack scales are a champion. Their sleek design complements any bathroom and the intuitive app makes analysis a breeze. FitTrack’s body fat and body composition monitor prioritizes accuracy, utilizing advanced BIA technology to deliver dependable data and science-based feedback for an effective weight loss tool. With features like goal setting and progress tracking, FitTrack keeps you motivated and informed, making it a perfect choice for anyone looking to take a data-driven approach to health improvement.
Tanita: A Legacy of Trusted Innovation
Tanita is a leader in body composition technology, boasting a long-standing reputation for quality and accuracy — in fact, they are U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) approved professional scales! Their products offer a variety of features to suit different needs, from basic models to professional scales with advanced metrics like visceral fat analysis. Tanita prioritizes user experience, ensuring their scales are easy to use and integrate seamlessly with their app. For those seeking a reliable brand with a proven track record, Tanita is a trusted choice.
Are Body Composition Scales HSA/FSA Eligible?
Yes! Body composition scales (or bioimpendance scales) are considered to be medical devices and are HSA/FSA eligible expenses, unlike regular digital scales, which require a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Still, it’s recommended to check with your HSA/FSA provider and the scale manufacturer to make sure the items you want to purchase are HSA/FSA approved!
How Flex Can Help You Buy Body Composition Scales with Your HSA/FSA
As we mentioned, many body composition scales are considered to be medical devices. As such, they are a qualified medical expense so you can use your HSA or FSA debit card, or pay for it out-of-pocket and get reimbursed.
However, not all online retailers can accept HSA or FSA payments. You’ll know if this is the case because your card will be declined. That’s where we come in: if an ecommerce company has partnered with Flex, such as Tanita, FitTrack, or Hume, they can because we allow purchases to be auto-substantiated. What that means for you is the payment will go through so you won’t need to submit for reimbursement!
Want to uncover more HSA and FSA-eligible products? Flex Market offers a wide range of items from our partner brands. Check out how to make the most of your HSA and FSA dollars.
Flex is a modern marketplace for consumers to discover and purchase HSA/FSA eligible products. From fitness and nutrition, to sleep and mental health, Flex takes a holistic view of healthcare and enables consumers to use their pre-tax money to do the same.