Three House lawmakers are asking the IRS to update and expand the list of services and treatments for chronic diseases covered under employer-sponsored high-deductible health plans.
Last month, the House passed a bipartisan bill to allow employers who offer HDHP coverage the option of including pre-deductible coverage for certain healthcare services that treat common chronic illnesses. The American Bankers Association’s Health Saving Account Council was among the bill’s supporters.
In their letter, the sponsors of the legislation — Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) — along with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said the prevalence of chronic disease and the extent to which treatments drive a substantial amount of the nation’s health care spending underscore the need for expanding coverage to additional treatments. They asked the IRS to update Notice 2019-45, which previously expanded the list of preventive care benefits permitted under an HDHP.
“We ask that you use your authority to make updating Notice 2019-45 a top priority of the agency to expand the list of allowed chronic disease management services,” the lawmakers said. “An expansion of this policy would have a significant impact on millions of Americans and will mark a powerful step toward ending the chronic disease epidemic.”
