Conservative Republicans in the U.S. House are trying to get health savings account changes and an employer health coverage purchasing coalition provision into any big “Reconciliation 3.0” package that Congress considers.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., held a press conference today in Washington to propose using his Great American Healthcare Plan bill as the vehicle for ferrying health benefits provisions into Reconciliation 3.0.
The plan “gets bureaucrats and middlemen out of the way,” Burlison said during the press conference. “It puts Americans in control of their health care dollars.”
The list of colleagues who are supporting Burlison’s effort includes Reps. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Chip Roy, R-Texas; and Troy Downing, R-Mont.
Burlison has support from general-interest conservative groups, such as Americans for Tax Reform and the Heritage Foundation. He also has support from the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, the ERISA Industry Committee, the HSA Coalition and Health Equity.
Burlison’s bill: Burlison’s Great American Healthcare Plan bill is a collection of many different health system provisions.
The bill, which has seven Republican cosponsors and no Democratic cosponsors, would:
◆ Let employers satisfy Affordable Care Act “shared responsibility” coverage requirements by making contributions to employees’ HSAs.
◆ Make it easier for employers to team up to buy health coverage, by classifying a “health marketplace pool” as an “employer” for purposes of offering group health plans or group health insurance coverage.
◆ Treat an unlimited amount of direct primary care dues as qualified medical expenses for HSA purposes. Today, the limit is $150 per month for an individual and $300 per month for a family.
◆ Provide the same bankruptcy protections for HSA assets as for retirement account assets.
◆ Let charities contribute to people’s HSAs.