Some of these questions that are addressed in the Grab Bag seem so unlikely, one just has to wonder how many times the question has been asked.  That said, apparently they have been asked and so we'll share the answers.  They just seem very strange as it were.

But first, in the hair department, if you thought previous editions of The Gradock Bulletin focusing on haircuts were strange, check out this video.  Now that is strange! 

With out venturing into politics today, can I just say, we should be grateful for our many blessings.

OK, back to business here.  Say you and your wife are covered under a High Deductible Health Plan that has a family deductible, and for some kooky reason, half way through the year your spouse comes off your plan and is covered under another leaving you with an individual deductible on your HDHP.  

First:  Are you no longer eligible for and HSA?  Answer: The mere changing from Family to Individual does not disqualify you.

Second:  You both had had medical expenses that were applying toward the deductible that in total exceed your new individual deductible.  Can you consider your deductible met?  And if not, how do you apply expenses incurred between the both of you to the new deductible. 

You can come at it one of two ways.  First is to subtract your spouse's medical expenses from the total and whatever is left (your expenses) apply to the deductible.  The other method is to add the two amounts up, divide them by two and apply that to your new deductible.   

If, however, your spouse goes onto COBRA under the HDHP, all bets are off and you must comply with the requirements of Question and Answer #2 of Document 54.4980B-5, which, of course is not included in the ‘Grab Bag'.  We took the liberty of looking up that specific IRS document and not only can you read the full text if you feel so inclined, we'll take a stab at making a sweeping overview of the three-page document that it is.

Please note, this is just a stab.  "Stab" being defined in this instance as a moderately educated guess.  Please, if this sounds like your specific situation, please consult with your benefits department, your insurance agent, your attorney and your palm reader.  Between the four of them, I'm sure it will become just as clear as yesterday.

With the above disclaimer now in place, basically, the general rule of thumb is that whatever your spouse incurred against the deductible prior to COBRA kicking in is what they get credit for against the COBRA deductible for the year. This sounds all well and good, but in reality, your situation will probably just different enough to make you think you are looking to hit a hanging curveball.

Good luck, God bless, and do your homework if you should you find this question applies to you.