Health accounts can now be used to pay for 23andMe kits

The IRS now allows people to use flexible spending and health care savings accounts to pay for 23andMe’s genetic testing kits, the company shared yesterday. The decision applies to the medical portion of the medical and ancestry kit that the company sells, so people will have to figure out how to separate out the ancestry portion of the combination kit. The company sells FDA-approved tests to identify genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and celiac disease. It also has tests for genetic mutations involved in colorectal cancer as well as three variants in BRCA genes — most commonly implicated in breast cancers — in those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Yesterday’s move means that consumers who would have paid $199 for a kit can claim up to $117.74 for tax purposes.