On the recordJune 21, 2016
I am happy to stand before you today as we consider H.R. 5452, the Native American Health Savings Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill that makes a commonsense improvement to current rules surrounding health savings accounts and those who get care at Indian Health Services. Generally, anyone covered solely by a high-deductible plan is allowed to make deductible contributions to a health savings account; but under IRS guidance, an individual who has received medical services at an Indian Health Service facility at any time during the previous 3 months is made ineligible from making contributions to an HSA. This practice could discourage those who rely on care that is delivered at an Indian Health Service facility from participating in an HSA. That is something that must be remedied. High-deductible health plans and HSAs are critical components of consumer-driven health care. Together, they empower individuals and families to shop around, unleashing the powers of choice and competition to lower costs and improve quality. We want to lower barriers to these types of accounts and encourage individuals who are otherwise eligible to not forgo treatment at an Indian Health Service facility simply because of confusion over when they might be able to resume contributing to their HSAs. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan, commonsense measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
