Health Savings Act of 2017
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Health Savings Act of 201 7
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs), to:
rename high deductible health plans as HSA-qualified health plans;
allow spouses who have both attained age 55 to make catch-up contributions to the same HSA;
make Medicare Part A (hospital insurance benefits) beneficiaries eligible to participate in an HSA;
allow individuals eligible for hospital care or medical services under a program of the Indian Health Service or a tribal organization to participate in an HSA;
allow members of a health care sharing ministry to participate in an HSA;
allow individuals who receive primary care services in exchange for a fixed periodic fee or payment, or who receive health care benefits from an onsite medical clinic of an employer, to participate in an HSA;
include amounts paid for prescription and over-the-counter medicines or drugs as "qualified medical expenses" for which distributions from an HSA or other tax-preferred savings accounts may be used;
increase the limits on HSA contributions to match the sum of the annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses permitted under a high deductible health plan; and
allow HSA distributions to be used to purchase health insurance coverage.
The bill also: (1) amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt HSAs from creditor claims in bankruptcy, and (2) amends the Social Security Act to reauthorize Medicaid health opportunity accounts.
The bill allows a medical care tax deduction for: (1) exercise equipment, physical fitness programs, and membership at a fitness facility; (2) nutritional and dietary supplements; and (3) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician and amounts paid for pre-paid primary care services.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on February 16, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 16, 2017: Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Erik Paulsen (R-MN) introduced it on February 16, 2017, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 8 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 16, 2017, 3493 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3465 days ago, on March 16, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers