HSA/FSA
Can You Buy the Lumen Metabolism Tracker With Your HSA/FSA?
Learn about your unique metabolism in order to make smarter lifestyle choices and nutrition decisions with Lumen.
September 17, 2024
Sam O'Keefe
Co-founder & CEO of Flex
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
HSA and FSA Eligibility of the Lumen Metabolism Tracker:
Lumen is eligible for purchase with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) if you have a Letter of Medical Necessity. You can use your HSA or FSA card to purchase or pay for it out-of-pocket and be reimbursed.
Your health journey is unique, partly because your metabolism is too.
Maybe you’ve tried to lose weight from a template diet or workout fad and didn’t get the results you were hoping for, even if your friend or family member swears by it. On the flip side, moving from cookie-cutter to personalized — say with a fitness coach or nutritional consultation — is expensive, so you’re stuck without the tools or insight to make meaningful change.
That’s where Lumen’s metabolism tracker comes in. Putting the power of clinical testing in your hands with a dash of personal nutritionist in your pocket, this handheld device and app provides a real-time assessment of your metabolism, a tailored nutrition plan for the day, and lifestyle insights and recommendations.
Best yet, you can pay for Lumen with your HSA or FSA which means you can count your savings each time you calculate your metabolic score.
What is a Lumen Metabolism Tracker?
The Lumen metabolism tracker is a handheld device that measures the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in your breath to assess how your metabolism is functioning.
We’ll explain how this works below, but essentially, CO2 concentration shows whether you are burning carbs or fats for fuel, and, depending on the context of the measurement and your lifestyle data, Lumen uses that information to give you recommendations to improve your metabolic health. From your morning wake-up breath, the app provides a personalized nutrition plan for the day along with macronutrient recommendations.
Not so long ago, getting insight into metabolic function required a costly and time-intensive test at a hospital or clinic, and was typically reserved for high-end athletes or specific health cases.
Personalized nutrition and metabolic health for everyone
Twin sisters, Ironman winners, and PhD physiologists, Drs. Michal and Merav Mor wanted a way to understand the impact of their nutrition on their health and workouts. Through their work, they knew about the Respiratory Quotient (RQ), the gold standard for measuring the metabolic fuel usage of an individual.
The question was: Could they take this testing and analysis out of the lab and put it into the hands of athletes like themselves?
Several years of R&D later and Lumen was born, offering metabolism testing, personalized nutrition, and lifestyle guidance from a single breath.
Health Benefits: Why Should You Track Your Metabolism?
Tracking your metabolism, and more importantly, understanding how well it is functioning (also known as your metabolic health), allows you to take informed steps towards improving your health, including:
Improving insulin sensitivity
Staving off metabolic syndrome
Reducing unhealthy fat and triglyceride levels
Bringing down your blood pressure
Improving your HDL cholesterol levels
And other factors
By encouraging your body to burn more fat as fuel at the right times, you can start to address many of these health markers.
What is metabolism?
Simply, metabolism refers to the chemical processes by which your body converts food into energy, whether for immediate use or stored for later. Your mitochondria – the powerhouses within your cells – are responsible for this process.
Certain diets and lifestyle choices adapt your body to over-using carbohydrates for fuel — and as a result, you end up craving, consuming, and storing more carbs as fat in the body. This can lead to becoming overweight or obese, and is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic flexibility: Making the switch between fat and carbs
Lumen emphasizes the concept of metabolic flexibility, which is the body’s ability to toggle between using fats or carbohydrates for fuel based on their availability and your body’s energy needs.
Healthy mitochondria (and a healthy metabolism) should primarily burn fat at rest, while fasting, and during prolonged low-intensity exercise, and carbs when you need a sudden burst of energy.
By addressing your mitochondrial health through your lifestyle, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management, you can begin to teach your body (and yourself) how to improve metabolic flexibility.
This can:
Improve your insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels
Enhance energy levels and athletic performance
Support better sleep
Make weight management easier
It is by understanding how your metabolism shifts throughout the day and over time — and being able to see the relationship between your day-to-day choices and your metabolism — that you can begin to optimize your lifestyle and make more informed choices according to your own body’s needs.
How Does Lumen Work?
Using a CO2 monitor and flow meter, the device calculates the CO2 concentration of your breath to interpret whether you are burning mostly carbs or fats. Based on that information and the context (whether you are fasting, about to work out, after a meal, etc.) your recommendations are adjusted to support metabolic flexibility.
According to a 2021 study in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, Lumen’s accuracy is on par with the gold standard of measuring the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in a laboratory setting.
Can you purchase the Lumen Metabolic Tracker with your HSA or FSA?
Yes, Lumen is available for purchase with your HSA or FSA, when you get the annual or annual Duo (for 2 users) memberships.
How to purchase Lumen with your HSA/FSA
Purchasing your Lumen device requires a Letter of Medical Necessity (we explain what this is below), but you can obtain a LOMN during the checkout process.
From the Lumen website, after adding your Lumen to the cart, select “HSA|FSA” as your checkout option (this will only be available for annual or annual Duo memberships).
At checkout, Flex will prompt you to fill in a short health questionnaire to confirm your eligibility to pay with your HSA/FSA.
From there, enter your HSA/FSA card details and complete your checkout as usual.
If you don’t have an HSA/FSA card, you can complete the checkout with a regular credit or debit card, and Flex will provide you with an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement.
Quick Overview of HSAs & FSAs
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are tax-advantaged financial accounts set up exclusively for health-related expenses. You can think of them a bit like supplemental coverage to help pay for healthcare expenses not covered by your health insurance, and they are great tools for managing healthcare costs.
HSAs and FSAs are designed to be used for qualified medical expenses which the IRS stipulates “must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental disability or illness” and includes costs associated with diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention. In Publication 502 (the link above) you will find a comprehensive list of approved items.
However, you can also pay for items that aren’t pre-approved if you receive a Letter of Medical Necessity from a healthcare professional.
What Is a Letter of Medical Necessity?
Simply, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) is like a doctor’s note that allows doctors to make determinations on behalf of patients, to qualify certain purchases for HSA or FSA spending. The LOMN must outline why a specific purchase is medically necessary for an individual and how it addresses a specific condition.
Because Lumen can address both medical conditions along with being used for general health, the IRS considers this device “dual-purpose” and is not on the pre-approved list of items for purchase. However, if a doctor explains in a LOMN how the Lumen helps you address a specific medical condition, you may be able to use your HSA/FSA to purchase it.
Why You Should Take Advantage of HSAs or FSAs for a Lumen Metabolic Tracker
There are a few reasons you want to consider using your HSA or FSA to buy a Lumen metabolic tracker:
Tax savings: Because HSAs and FSAs are tax-advantaged financial accounts, you can put money away for medical fees while also reducing your taxable income. Specifically, contributions are pre-tax and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free, which means you can save 30-40% on purchases because of tax savings.
FSAs are Use It or Lose It: One major difference between FSAs and HSAs is that most FSA funds that are not used by the end of the plan year are forfeited. There is the potential for a grace period or a limited rollover option, but in the end, you will either need to use your funds or lose them.
Be proactive about your health: Think of your HSA or FSA as letting you take control of your health because you can choose to invest in preventative or mitigating products or services not typically covered by your health insurance. This approach can help to detect problems early, reduce the risk of disease, and generally maintain a healthier lifestyle.
How do returns, exchanges, or canceling an order work with HSA or FSA?
Your Lumen can be returned for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it, as long as it is still in the unopened box. To start the process, reach out to Customer Support if you’re having problems.
Note that no refunds or returns are permitted for Lumen devices that are not purchased through their website and all and any accessories, including but not limited to chargers, cases, cables, and any other accessory items, are non-refundable. Accessories are sold as-is with no returns or exchanges permitted.
Be sure to read their full refund policy for more details.
HSA and FSA Eligibility of the Lumen Metabolism Tracker:
Lumen is eligible for purchase with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) if you have a Letter of Medical Necessity. You can use your HSA or FSA card to purchase or pay for it out-of-pocket and be reimbursed.
Your health journey is unique, partly because your metabolism is too.
Maybe you’ve tried to lose weight from a template diet or workout fad and didn’t get the results you were hoping for, even if your friend or family member swears by it. On the flip side, moving from cookie-cutter to personalized — say with a fitness coach or nutritional consultation — is expensive, so you’re stuck without the tools or insight to make meaningful change.
That’s where Lumen’s metabolism tracker comes in. Putting the power of clinical testing in your hands with a dash of personal nutritionist in your pocket, this handheld device and app provides a real-time assessment of your metabolism, a tailored nutrition plan for the day, and lifestyle insights and recommendations.
Best yet, you can pay for Lumen with your HSA or FSA which means you can count your savings each time you calculate your metabolic score.
What is a Lumen Metabolism Tracker?
The Lumen metabolism tracker is a handheld device that measures the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in your breath to assess how your metabolism is functioning.
We’ll explain how this works below, but essentially, CO2 concentration shows whether you are burning carbs or fats for fuel, and, depending on the context of the measurement and your lifestyle data, Lumen uses that information to give you recommendations to improve your metabolic health. From your morning wake-up breath, the app provides a personalized nutrition plan for the day along with macronutrient recommendations.
Not so long ago, getting insight into metabolic function required a costly and time-intensive test at a hospital or clinic, and was typically reserved for high-end athletes or specific health cases.
Personalized nutrition and metabolic health for everyone
Twin sisters, Ironman winners, and PhD physiologists, Drs. Michal and Merav Mor wanted a way to understand the impact of their nutrition on their health and workouts. Through their work, they knew about the Respiratory Quotient (RQ), the gold standard for measuring the metabolic fuel usage of an individual.
The question was: Could they take this testing and analysis out of the lab and put it into the hands of athletes like themselves?
Several years of R&D later and Lumen was born, offering metabolism testing, personalized nutrition, and lifestyle guidance from a single breath.
Health Benefits: Why Should You Track Your Metabolism?
Tracking your metabolism, and more importantly, understanding how well it is functioning (also known as your metabolic health), allows you to take informed steps towards improving your health, including:
Improving insulin sensitivity
Staving off metabolic syndrome
Reducing unhealthy fat and triglyceride levels
Bringing down your blood pressure
Improving your HDL cholesterol levels
And other factors
By encouraging your body to burn more fat as fuel at the right times, you can start to address many of these health markers.
What is metabolism?
Simply, metabolism refers to the chemical processes by which your body converts food into energy, whether for immediate use or stored for later. Your mitochondria – the powerhouses within your cells – are responsible for this process.
Certain diets and lifestyle choices adapt your body to over-using carbohydrates for fuel — and as a result, you end up craving, consuming, and storing more carbs as fat in the body. This can lead to becoming overweight or obese, and is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic flexibility: Making the switch between fat and carbs
Lumen emphasizes the concept of metabolic flexibility, which is the body’s ability to toggle between using fats or carbohydrates for fuel based on their availability and your body’s energy needs.
Healthy mitochondria (and a healthy metabolism) should primarily burn fat at rest, while fasting, and during prolonged low-intensity exercise, and carbs when you need a sudden burst of energy.
By addressing your mitochondrial health through your lifestyle, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management, you can begin to teach your body (and yourself) how to improve metabolic flexibility.
This can:
Improve your insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels
Enhance energy levels and athletic performance
Support better sleep
Make weight management easier
It is by understanding how your metabolism shifts throughout the day and over time — and being able to see the relationship between your day-to-day choices and your metabolism — that you can begin to optimize your lifestyle and make more informed choices according to your own body’s needs.
How Does Lumen Work?
Using a CO2 monitor and flow meter, the device calculates the CO2 concentration of your breath to interpret whether you are burning mostly carbs or fats. Based on that information and the context (whether you are fasting, about to work out, after a meal, etc.) your recommendations are adjusted to support metabolic flexibility.
According to a 2021 study in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, Lumen’s accuracy is on par with the gold standard of measuring the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in a laboratory setting.
Can you purchase the Lumen Metabolic Tracker with your HSA or FSA?
Yes, Lumen is available for purchase with your HSA or FSA, when you get the annual or annual Duo (for 2 users) memberships.
How to purchase Lumen with your HSA/FSA
Purchasing your Lumen device requires a Letter of Medical Necessity (we explain what this is below), but you can obtain a LOMN during the checkout process.
From the Lumen website, after adding your Lumen to the cart, select “HSA|FSA” as your checkout option (this will only be available for annual or annual Duo memberships).
At checkout, Flex will prompt you to fill in a short health questionnaire to confirm your eligibility to pay with your HSA/FSA.
From there, enter your HSA/FSA card details and complete your checkout as usual.
If you don’t have an HSA/FSA card, you can complete the checkout with a regular credit or debit card, and Flex will provide you with an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement.
Quick Overview of HSAs & FSAs
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are tax-advantaged financial accounts set up exclusively for health-related expenses. You can think of them a bit like supplemental coverage to help pay for healthcare expenses not covered by your health insurance, and they are great tools for managing healthcare costs.
HSAs and FSAs are designed to be used for qualified medical expenses which the IRS stipulates “must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental disability or illness” and includes costs associated with diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention. In Publication 502 (the link above) you will find a comprehensive list of approved items.
However, you can also pay for items that aren’t pre-approved if you receive a Letter of Medical Necessity from a healthcare professional.
What Is a Letter of Medical Necessity?
Simply, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) is like a doctor’s note that allows doctors to make determinations on behalf of patients, to qualify certain purchases for HSA or FSA spending. The LOMN must outline why a specific purchase is medically necessary for an individual and how it addresses a specific condition.
Because Lumen can address both medical conditions along with being used for general health, the IRS considers this device “dual-purpose” and is not on the pre-approved list of items for purchase. However, if a doctor explains in a LOMN how the Lumen helps you address a specific medical condition, you may be able to use your HSA/FSA to purchase it.
Why You Should Take Advantage of HSAs or FSAs for a Lumen Metabolic Tracker
There are a few reasons you want to consider using your HSA or FSA to buy a Lumen metabolic tracker:
Tax savings: Because HSAs and FSAs are tax-advantaged financial accounts, you can put money away for medical fees while also reducing your taxable income. Specifically, contributions are pre-tax and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free, which means you can save 30-40% on purchases because of tax savings.
FSAs are Use It or Lose It: One major difference between FSAs and HSAs is that most FSA funds that are not used by the end of the plan year are forfeited. There is the potential for a grace period or a limited rollover option, but in the end, you will either need to use your funds or lose them.
Be proactive about your health: Think of your HSA or FSA as letting you take control of your health because you can choose to invest in preventative or mitigating products or services not typically covered by your health insurance. This approach can help to detect problems early, reduce the risk of disease, and generally maintain a healthier lifestyle.
How do returns, exchanges, or canceling an order work with HSA or FSA?
Your Lumen can be returned for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it, as long as it is still in the unopened box. To start the process, reach out to Customer Support if you’re having problems.
Note that no refunds or returns are permitted for Lumen devices that are not purchased through their website and all and any accessories, including but not limited to chargers, cases, cables, and any other accessory items, are non-refundable. Accessories are sold as-is with no returns or exchanges permitted.
Be sure to read their full refund policy for more details.
Flex is the easiest way for direct to consumer brands and retailers to accept HSA/FSA for their 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.