Healthcare debit card linked to healthcare-related and non-healthcare-related financial accounts

Abstract

A healthcare financial payment system and method are disclosed in which a debit card which may be used by a cardholder to pay for medical products and services is linked with a healthcare-related financial account associated with the cardholder as well as with a non-healthcare-related financial account belonging to the cardholder. The healthcare-related financial account associated with the cardholder may be a Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), a Health Savings Account (HSA), or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), and the non-healthcare-related financial account associated with the cardholder may be a bank checking or savings account or a credit card. Any expenses for medical goods and services which are not covered by the cardholder's medical insurance may be paid from the cardholder's healthcare-related financial account if the medical goods or services are eligible and if there are funds remaining in the healthcare-related financial account, with any remaining costs being paid for from or charged to the cardholder's non-healthcare-related financial account.

1 . A system for making payments for medical products and services, said system comprising: 
 a healthcare card associated with a cardholder and a medical insurance plan, said healthcare debit card also being associated with first and second financial accounts of the cardholder, said first financial account being a healthcare-related financial account and said second financial account being a non-healthcare-related financial account;    a data input station associated with a medical product and/or service provider, said data input station being operable to acquire first data and second data, said first data comprising information associated with said healthcare card and said second data comprising information related to a medical product and/or service provided or to be provided to the cardholder or a dependant of the cardholder covered by said medical insurance plan;    a medical insurance processor that receives said first and second data, and in response determines whether said medical insurance plan offers coverage for said medical product and/or service and pays or arranges for the payment of any amount due from said medical insurance plan for said medical product and/or service, a determination as to whether a balance is due for said medical product and/or service being made following the determination by said medical insurance plan;    a first financial processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said medical insurance processor, ascertains whether said first financial account allows payment for said medical product and/or service and has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said first financial account; and    a second financial processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said first financial processor, ascertains whether said second financial account has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said second financial account.    
     
     
         2 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare card contains a healthcare card number, cardholder information, medical insurance provider information, and information regarding copay amounts which are required for various medical products and/or services under said medical insurance plan, all of which are printed and/or embossed onto said healthcare card.  
     
     
         3 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare card also functions as a conventional credit or debit card for use in financial transactions including financial transactions which are unrelated to healthcare.  
     
     
         4 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare card comprises: 
 a radio frequency (“RF”) communication and storage device containing said first and second data; and wherein said data input station comprises:    a reader which operates with said healthcare card to cause said RF communication and storage device to transmit said first and second data to said data input station in a touch-less communication mode.    
     
     
         5 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare card comprises: 
 a data storage element for storing electronic data including cardholder information, medical insurance provider information, and information regarding said second financial account.    
     
     
         6 . A system as defined in  claim 5 , wherein said data storage element comprises: 
 a magnetic stripe located on said healthcare card.    
     
     
         7 . A system as defined in  claim 5 , wherein said data storage element comprises: 
 an electronic chip located in said healthcare card.    
     
     
         8 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said data input station comprises: 
 a terminal located a place of business of said medical product and/or service provider.    
     
     
         9 . A system as defined in  claim 8 , wherein said data input station additionally comprises: 
 a card reader which is operatively connected to said terminal, said healthcare card being scanned by said card reader to derive said first information.    
     
     
         10 . A system as defined in  claim 8 , wherein said terminal is used to enter said second data, said second data comprising: 
 data identifying said medical product and/or service with sufficient specificity to allow said medical insurance processor and said first financial processor to determine eligibility of said medical product and/or service for payment; and    data regarding the cost of said medical product and/or service established by said medical product and/or service provider.    
     
     
         11 . A system as defined in  claim 8 , wherein said terminal allows the entry of said cardholder's personal identification umber (“PIN”), wherein said PIN is required by said second financial processor to access funds in said second financial account.  
     
     
         12 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said medical insurance processor comprises: 
 a medical insurance storage medium containing data regarding said medical insurance plan; and    a medical insurance server that determines whether said medical insurance plan offers coverage for said medical product and/or service based upon said first data, said second data, and said data from said medical insurance storage medium.    
     
     
         13 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said first financial processor comprises: 
 a first financial storage medium containing data regarding eligibility of medical products and/or services and the balance of said first financial account; and    a first financial server that ascertains whether payment for a balance due for said medical product and/or service may be made from said first financial account based upon said second data and said data from said first financial storage medium.    
     
     
         14 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said second financial processor comprises: 
 a second financial storage medium containing data regarding the balance of said second financial account; and    a second financial server that ascertains whether payment for a balance due for said medical product and/or service may be made from said second financial account based upon said second data and said data from said second financial storage medium.    
     
     
         15 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 a cardholder administrator processor that enrolls, disenrolls, and changes information for employees or other cardholders serviced by said medical insurance plan.    
     
     
         16 . A system as defined in  claim 15 , wherein said cardholder administrator processor comprises: 
 a cardholder administrator storage medium containing data regarding cardholders; and    a cardholder administrator server that is used to enter and modify said data from said cardholder administrator storage medium.    
     
     
         17 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said medical insurance processor, said first financial processor, and said second financial processor operate substantially in real time to provide said data input station with an indication of payment(s) for said medical product and/or service and any amount which remains due which said medical product and/or service provider must collect from said cardholder.  
     
     
         18 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 a system administrator processor that interacts with said data input station, said medical insurance processor, said first financial processor, and said second financial processor, said system administrator processor sequentially routing data: 
 first, to said medical insurance processor for a determination of coverage by said medical insurance plan and payment if there is coverage by said medical insurance plan;  
 second, if there is a balance due following consideration by said medical insurance processor, to said first financial processor for a determination of eligibility and funds availability and payment if there is eligibility and funds are available; and  
 third, if there is a balance due following consideration by said first financial processor, to said second financial processor for a determination of funds availability and payment if funds are available.  
   
     
     
         19 . A system as defined in  claim 18 , wherein said system administrator processor comprises: 
 a system administrator storage medium containing data regarding said cardholder; and    a system administrator server that interacts with said data input station, said medical insurance processor, first financial processor, and said second financial processor, said system administrator server accessing data regarding said cardholder in said system administrator storage medium.    
     
     
         20 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , additionally comprising: 
 at least one network that facilitates communication between said data input station, said medical insurance processor, said first financial processor, and said second financial processor.    
     
     
         21 . A system as defined in  claim 20 , wherein said network comprises the Internet.  
     
     
         22 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare debit card is also associated with a third financial account of the cardholder, said third financial account being a secondary healthcare-related financial account, said system additionally comprising: 
 a third financial processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said first financial processor and before consideration by said second financial processor, ascertains whether said third financial account allows payment for said medical product and/or service and has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said third financial account.    
     
     
         23 . A system as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said healthcare debit card is also associated with a third financial account of the cardholder, said third financial account being a secondary non-healthcare-related financial account, additionally comprising: 
 a third financial processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said second financial processor, ascertains whether said third financial account has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said third financial account.    
     
     
         24 . A system for making payments for medical products and services, said system comprising: 
 a healthcare card associated with a cardholder and a medical insurance plan, said healthcare debit card also being associated with first and second financial accounts of the cardholder;    a data input station associated with a medical product and/or service provider and operable to acquire first data from said healthcare card and second data related to a medical product and/or service provided or to be provided;    a medical insurance processor that receives said first and second data and pays or arranges for the payment of any amount due from said medical insurance plan for said medical product and/or service;    a first financial processor that, if a balance for said medical product and/or service remains, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due from said first financial account if said medical product and/or service is eligible and sufficient funds are available; and    a second financial processor that, if a balance for said medical product and/or service remains, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due from said second financial account if sufficient funds are available.    
     
     
         25 . A system for making payments for medical products and services, said system comprising: 
 a healthcare card associated with a cardholder and a medical insurance plan, said healthcare debit card also being associated with a healthcare-related financial account of the cardholder and a non-healthcare-related financial account of the cardholder;    a data input station associated with a medical product and/or service provider, said data input station being operable to acquire first data and second data, said first data comprising information associated with said healthcare card and said second data comprising information related to a medical product and/or service provided or to be provided to the cardholder or a dependant of the cardholder covered by said medical insurance plan;    a medical insurance processor that receives said first and second data, and in response determines whether said medical insurance plan offers coverage for said medical product and/or service and pays or arranges for the payment of any amount due from said medical insurance plan for said medical product and/or service to said medical product and/or service provider, a determination as to whether a balance is due for said medical product and/or service being made following the determination by said medical insurance plan;    a healthcare-related financial processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said medical insurance processor, ascertains whether said healthcare-related financial account allows payment for said medical product and/or service and has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said healthcare-related financial account to said medical product and/or service provider;    a non-healthcare-related financial medical processor that, if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following consideration by said healthcare-related financial medical processor, ascertains whether said non-healthcare-related financial account has sufficient funds available and, if so, pays or arranges for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said non-healthcare-related financial account to said medical product and/or service provider; and    a system administrator processor that interacts with said data input station, said medical insurance processor, said first financial processor, and said second financial processor, said system administrator processor sequentially routing data to said medical insurance processor, first financial processor, and said second financial processor.    
     
     
         26 . A method of making payments for medical products and services, said method comprising: 
 providing a cardholder with a healthcare card associated with a medical insurance plan, said healthcare card being linked to a first financial account and a second financial account, said first financial account being a healthcare-related financial account and said second financial account being a non-healthcare-related financial account;    acquiring first data and second data with a data input station associated with a medical product and/or service provider, said first data comprising information associated with said healthcare card and said second data comprising information related to a medical product and/or service provided or to be provided to the cardholder or a dependant of the cardholder covered by said medical insurance plan;    in response to said first and second data, determining whether said medical insurance plan offers coverage for said medical product and/or service and paying or arranging for the payment of any amount due from said medical insurance plan for said medical product and/or service, a determination as to whether a balance is due for said medical product and/or service being made following such payment;    if a non-zero balance is due for said medical product and/or service following said determining step, ascertaining whether said first financial account allows payment for said medical product and/or service and has sufficient funds available and, if so, paying or arranging for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said first financial account; and    if a non-zero balance is due for said healthcare product and/or service following said ascertaining step, establishing whether said second financial account has sufficient funds available and, if so, paying or arranging for the payment of all or part of the balance due for said medical product and/or service from said second financial account.