Making Style Count: Our Path to HSA/FSA Eligibility

Emilie Delaye · October 23, 2026 · 5 min read

We're working to make Nova PICC line and midline covers payable with HSA and FSA funds, so the money you've already set aside for care can go toward products that feel like you.

When we started Nova Medical Wearables, we asked a simple question: why should the things you wear every day for your health feel like an afterthought? A PICC line or midline is part of your life for weeks or months. What covers it should be comfortable, considered, and something you're glad to put on.

But good design only matters if people can reach it. Medical costs add up quickly, and many of our customers are already managing appointments, supplies, and treatment bills. Making Nova eligible for health savings dollars is one of the most practical things we can do to close that gap. Here's where we are, what the process actually involves, and what it means for you.

First, a quick primer

A Health Savings Account (HSA) and a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) both let you pay for qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. The biggest difference: an HSA is yours to keep year after year, while most FSAs are "use it or lose it" within the plan year.

What counts as a qualified expense is rooted in Section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines medical care, and IRS Publication 502, which explains it in practice. One thing surprised us when we started: there is no official IRS list of HSA/FSA-eligible products. Products don't get "approved" by the IRS. Instead, eligibility depends on whether a product's primary purpose is medical care, and that question gets answered through a few industry systems.

The two roads to eligibility

In practice, products reach HSA and FSA shoppers in one of two ways. The industry generally sorts items into "always eligible" and "dual-purpose" categories, and each has its own path.

Path	How it works	What it means for shoppers
SIGIS Eligible Product List	SIGIS, an industry standards group, reviews products against IRS guidance and maintains a list that retailers and card systems use to approve HSA/FSA cards automatically.	Swipe your HSA/FSA card at checkout, with no extra paperwork.
Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN)	For items that could serve a medical or a general purpose, a licensed provider confirms the item is for a specific diagnosed condition. Dual-purpose items aren't included on the SIGIS list and go through this route instead.	A short health intake at checkout or a letter from your provider, then you pay with HSA/FSA funds.

As a fashion-forward brand, we know Nova sits at an interesting intersection. Our covers are designed around a medical device, but they're also designed to look and feel great. That's exactly the kind of product the eligibility process is built to look at carefully, and we're taking it seriously.

What we're doing right now

We're encouraged that PICC line covers already appear as HSA/FSA eligible at major retailers. That tells us the category has a clear path. Our job is to walk it carefully and honestly. Here's our current process:

Reviewing every product against IRS guidance. We're looking at each Nova cover, its materials, and its intended use to understand where it fits under Section 213(d).
Talking with HSA/FSA checkout partners. Several companies help brands accept HSA and FSA cards online, either through SIGIS-backed automatic approval or a guided Letter of Medical Necessity flow. We're comparing which route fits Nova best.
Listening to clinicians. We're asking nurses and infusion teams how they talk about line care with patients, so our approach feels grounded in real care settings.
Building it into checkout. Once we have a compliant path, our goal is a checkout that feels as considered as our products: clear, quick, and free of guesswork.

What this means for you today

Nova products aren't HSA/FSA eligible at checkout yet. We'd rather tell you that plainly than overpromise. We'll share an update here and on our social channels as soon as that changes.

In the meantime, a few things are worth knowing:

Every plan is different. Even when a product qualifies, some employer FSA plans apply stricter rules to dual-purpose items. Your plan administrator has the final word.
Ask before you buy. If you'd like to submit a Nova purchase for reimbursement yourself, check with your HSA or FSA administrator first about what documentation they need.
Keep your receipts. Itemized receipts are the foundation of any reimbursement request.

We're not tax advisors, so please treat this as general information rather than guidance for your specific situation.

Why this matters to us

Adaptive design is about more than how something looks. It's about who gets access to it. Pursuing HSA/FSA eligibility is part of the same belief that shaped our first sketches: medical wearables deserve the same care, intention, and respect as anything else in your wardrobe, and they should be within reach.

We're building Nova alongside our community, and this effort is no different. If you've used HSA or FSA funds for medical wearables, we'd love to hear what made the process easy or frustrating. Clinicians and benefits professionals, we'd welcome your perspective too. Reach out, leave a comment, or connect with our founder, Emilie Delaye, on LinkedIn.

With care,

The Nova Medical Wearables team