In a letter to lawmakers today, ABA’s Health Savings Account Council applauded a bipartisan measure introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) and in the House by Reps. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) that would allow HSA plans the option to cover high-value health care services and medications associated with chronic disease management without a deductible.
Under current law, covering chronic disease for people enrolled in HSA-qualified plans before they meet their deductible would disqualify the plan and prevent HSA owners from contributing to their account.
“As HSAs become more popular, we believe it is important to increase their flexibility to meet the different demands of a wide array of insured populations,” the council wrote. “We support the ability of payers to expand coverage so long as expanded choices do not become mandatory. Expanding HSAs’ utility to a larger audience will accelerate adoption of these plans and hopefully contribute to a reduction in gross health expenses over time.”
