Today, Joel White joined Liya Palagashvili of the Mercatus Center and Dean Clancy with Americans for Prosperity on Capitol Hill for a lunchtime briefing on portable benefits.
Liya explained the hurdles gig workers face in relation to benefits, including health care. Joel and Dean specifically focused on health savings accounts (HSA) and how expanding access to them for more Americans will help them access better health care.
Dean discussed how only 20% of Americans have access to an HSA and called for Congress to expand how they can be used, including allowing HSAs to be used for direct primary care providers. Dean said it would open up access for 35 million Americans.
Joel highlighted how HSAs are often the least expensive, highest-quality coverage on the market. They have lower premiums and wide access to care. 61 million people rely on HSAs to help fill the cost-sharing gaps not covered by health insurance. But federal and state rules stand between consumers and lower costs. He called for Congress to include HSA reform in reconciliation, saying, “This is a once in a generation opportunity that doesn’t cost tax payers a dime. Expanding access to HSAs benefits everyone.”
Prior to today’s Hill briefing, CAHC had joined with other 30 conservative organizations to urge Congress to expand access to HSAs in this year’s reconciliation bill, including for people in Medicare and ACA plans, and those with employer coverage. Enacting these changes would give millions of consumers access to more affordable coverage.
There are several bills that would expand HSAs, including:
- Personalized Care Act
- Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act
- HSA Modernization Act
- Primary Care Enhancement Act
- Affordable Care and Comprehensive Economic Support through
Savings (ACCESS) Act