Health Savings Act of 2017

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 Senate" stage on February 15, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

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.