Patent ID: 8464937

Claim:
A system for providing real-time access to funds available in at least one healthcare spending account using a point of sale system supporting real-time transactions, the point of sale system including a first input device capable of recognizing items presented for purchase and a second input device capable of recognizing a healthcare spending account device identifying the at least one healthcare spending account, the system comprising: a processor system capable of receiving inputs from and providing outputs to the point of sale system; a transaction processor system capable of communicating with the processor system, the transaction processor system including a processor and a memory, the memory including a first data structure configured to contain eligible item identifiers for items that are eligible for purchase using the least one healthcare spending account and including an indicator for each item of whether the item is eligible for purchase using the least one healthcare spending account; a second data structure configured to contain authorized item identifiers for items that are authorized for purchase using the at least one healthcare spending account; a third data structure configured to contain transaction data detail; and a decision system using the eligible item identifiers contained in the first data structure, the authorized item identifiers contained in the second data structure, and the transaction data detail contained in the third data structure to process transactions and provide transaction information to the point of sale system.