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Good lists of medical supplies to stock up on? Help me spend $1000 by Friday! :-)  

post #1 of 33
10/7/08 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
My DH got laid off this week... I am going through his benefits paperwork and among other things to deal with right now, there is quite a bit of our money (over $1000) sitting in our health care FSA that we contributed over the year and will evaporate if we don't use it!

Since his termination date is Friday, I thought that one way to use the FSA funds would be to order FSA-eligible medical supplies before Friday. It seems like a good opportunity to work on our emergency preparedness stash. Can anyone point me to some good lists of medical supplies to stock up on? I've seen several emergency preparedness lists focused on food storage, but I don't know offhand where to find a great list of medical supplies. Also, I'd appreciate recommendations for good online suppliers.

Thanks so much for any help!
post #2 of 33
10/7/08 at 11:06pm
I can't really respond to your questions, but somewhat on topic...I was going to say that if you have a CVS near you, I'd go spend some of that money there. They have lots of meds on sale this week that then offer extracare bucks. You can claim to medical expenses on all of the stuff you pay cash for, then the ECB's are just like a little bonus that has no effect on your FSA.
post #3 of 33
10/7/08 at 11:07pm
i think cvs.com lists all the products that are fsa eligible. Contact lens solution is a big one for me.
post #4 of 33
10/7/08 at 11:23pm
Depends on what your medical needs are. If you have prescriptions, stock up on them now. As for me, I always keep gauze bandages, tea tree oil, witch hazel, Q-tips and cotton balls, band-aids, rubbing alcohol, and my homemade herbal ointment in good supply. This ointment is wonderful and I've used it to treat diaper rash and bruises. Its also wonderful for insect bites. Here's the recipe:

Beeswax (I like the beads, but you can get a block and use a cheese grater)
Olive oil or safflower oil
Comfrey
Plantain (broad or lanceleaf, doesn't matter)
Yarrow
Goldenseal (do not harvest wild please!! Buy this one at the store)
Chickweed
Raw honey.

I strongly suggest using fresh comfrey, but if you only have access to dried it will do fine.

Put everything in a small saucepan except the beeswax and cover with just enough oil to saturate and completely cover the herbs. Simmer this mixture for about 1 hour or until everything looks wilted or brown. Strain the oil through cheesecloth or a paper towel into another pan. Once the herbs cool a bit, squeeze the heck out of them and let the green goo drip into the pan until you can't squeeze out any more juice. Put the oil back on heat and add the beeswax to your liking. Use a spoon to check the texture. I like my salve to be pretty solid, so I add lots of beeswax. Once the mixture turns out how you want it to be on the spoon, have some clean jars ready to pour it into. I use old baby food jars or wide-mouth, half-pint Mason jars. The baby food jars are great for keeping in the diaper bag or car!
This salve will keep for 1 year or a little longer. You can add other things to it, like your favorite essential oils. I add Tea Tree oil for extra antimicrobial power since I use it so much for diaper rash.
post #5 of 33
10/7/08 at 11:32pm
dental cleanings for the whole family on thursday hahaha

contact lenses
glasses


and I second - go to cvs.

see how many meds you can get a 90 day supply for too.
post #6 of 33
10/8/08 at 1:16am
These would be what I would do for my family:
Glasses and prescription sunglasses
Contacts
Contact solutions
OTC allergy meds, including topical meds
Assorted pain meds
Anti diarrhea meds
Rx meds. Most you can by extra of, you'll just have to pay the whole price. For example when I left my last job I bought a year's worth of birth control pills (the remaining prescriptions) in one purchase. It was probably 200 bucks.
I think you can get things like Ace bandages and tape, but not "bandaids."

I'll keep looking for a good list, but I haven't found one yet.
post #7 of 33
10/8/08 at 1:25am
Thread Starter 
Thanks all for your replies!

We don't have any prescriptions or use any other medication on a regular basis, nor do we have contacts or glasses, although those are great ideas.

I'm thinking of first aid type supplies, and also wondering what sort of supplies might be good to have in a more serious emergency such as an earthquake, if medical care is not easily available.
post #8 of 33
10/8/08 at 1:35am
Drugstore.com might have a list of FSA eligable items available online. You can then either buy directly from them or just use them to help generate a list and go shopping in a local drugstore.
post #9 of 33
10/8/08 at 1:43am
Thread Starter 
Yes, Drugstore.com and CVS.com has lists of FSA eligible items.

What I'm looking for is a list of desirable medical supplies to have on hand in a personal or regional emergency (not specifically a list of FSA eligible items)

For example, what should be in a household first aid kit? In a 72-hour bag? Or supplies for the longer term (in the event of job loss, or a regional or national situation causing shortages etc)?

I am sure there are lots of these lists online but I don't know where to find a good one
post #10 of 33
10/8/08 at 1:49am
Maybe you could look up hurricane preparedness? They probably have been updating those a lot lately.

Can you get stuff like vitamins? Tampons? Or, is there anything you can get and sell? Or how about buying and returning for cash?
post #11 of 33
10/8/08 at 2:42am
Vitamins, Basic first aid supplies, topical antibiotics,
post #12 of 33
10/8/08 at 2:54am
Thread Starter 
Is it worth buying some home medical supplies, like:
stethoscope?
otoscope?
blood pressure cuff?
...??
post #13 of 33
10/8/08 at 3:09am
I'd buy a LadyComp or BabyComp (little birth control computer that takes your temp every morning and calculates your fertile periods). I really want one but can't justify the expense...
post #14 of 33
10/8/08 at 8:35am
invest in making homebith kits and then selling them?
post #15 of 33
10/8/08 at 8:42am
Not medical supplies, but do either of you need a chiropractor? We had a huge amount of money about to expire in our fsa account a couple of years ago & my husband bought a prepaid package of chiropractor appointments with it.
post #16 of 33
10/8/08 at 8:48am
Are you covered by medical insurance under DH? If so, will you be continuing coverage under COBRA? If so, I'd see if you could pre-pay those premiums first. I don't know if this is possible though.
post #17 of 33
10/8/08 at 8:53am
If you don't use medicine, stock up on items you can barter (if they are qualified products): gauze, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bandaids, gauze tape, allergy medications, antibiotic cream, hydrocortizone cream... etc. I like tamagochi's ideas, too.
post #18 of 33
10/8/08 at 8:54am
Here's a link to the Red Cross Store:

http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper...x?LocationId=1
post #19 of 33
10/8/08 at 9:32am
Double check with your FSA organizer and HR to make sure you have to spend this all before your husband is laid off or if you still have before the end of the year. I'd also ask if it can cover COBRA or other insurance and spend it there. If not, get those dental cleanings and stock up on what you use most. Around here that's sinus meds and OTC pain meds like Tylenol.
post #20 of 33
10/8/08 at 10:11am
OP - I think by law you have until the end of year (or end of the health insurance year year) to use the funds..it is a gov't program...so check with HR. You may not have to RUSH to use the money!
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