We're almost at the end of the year, and once again people are logging into their FSA accounts, trying to claim whatever they can before their own money disappears. I just claimed $1,000 from my account, and I still have $300 left that I'm planning to claim next month. That should not be how this works. We should not have to scramble at the end of the year just to avoid losing money we already set aside for health care.

This rule hurts regular people who are already trying to do the responsible thing. We put money into these accounts to cover medical needs, prescriptions, supplies, and other health expenses, and then we get punished if life doesn't line up perfectly with an arbitrary deadline. Not everybody can predict exactly what they will need, exactly when they will need it, or exactly how fast they can file every eligible claim. A benefit that is supposed to help us manage health costs should not turn into a countdown clock.

I'm calling on federal lawmakers to end the use-it-or-lose-it rule for Flexible Spending Accounts and require that unused health care funds roll over fully from year to year. If workers are contributing their own money for qualified medical expenses, that money should stay with them. At the very least, people should not lose hard-earned funds because of confusing rules and end-of-year pressure.

If you've ever rushed to use your FSA before the deadline, or lost money because you didn't, you already know how unfair this is. This is such a common problem, and it keeps happening because the system is built that way. Sign this petition and help push for a benefits system that actually works for the people paying into it.