| Here’s the bottom line: When patients are in charge, they spend less, spend smarter, and achieve better outcomes — reducing waste and lowering costs for everyone. This vision was spotlighted during the recent House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearings, which focused on expanding access to affordable health care options. Following the hearing, AFP wrote the Ways and Means Committee chairman and the Health Subcommittee chairman to commend their efforts and urge them to include patient-centered reforms in this year’s budget reconciliation package. Here’s the agenda we proposed in our letter: - Expand health savings accounts: HSAs let families save for medical expenses tax-free, empowering smarter, more informed spending decisions. Yet fewer than 20% of Americans qualify. Expanding eligibility would extend these benefits to millions more.
- Eliminate barriers to direct primary care: DPC offers a subscription-based model for personalized, affordable care without insurance middlemen. Updating tax codes to remove obstacles would make DPC accessible nationwide.
- Create an HSA option for low-income families: By redirecting subsidies currently paid to insurers into personal HSAs, families could pay for the care and services they need most — boosting flexibility while keeping taxpayer costs steady.
- Support gig workers: Allowing platforms and employers to contribute to gig workers’ HSAs without affecting their independent contractor status would give nearly 60 million gig workers better access to affordable health care options.
- End wasteful silver-loading by insurers: Addressing inflationary Affordable Care Act practices like silver-loading (inflating insurance prices to capture higher subsidies) could save taxpayers an estimated $55 billion while easing consumer premiums and improving budget health.
- Enact the HOPE Act: This proposal would provide greater flexibility for those facing high out-of-pocket costs with new HOPE Accounts, similar to Roth HSAs. A bipartisan reform, it would give 90% of Americans the option of a tax-advantaged HSA they own and control.
- Optional pre-funded Roth HSAs in entitlement programs: Modernizing entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid to include pre-funded Roth HSAs can incentivize smarter health care spending and help patients save significantly.
These reforms can reduce inflation, lower deficits, and offer relief from soaring medical costs and rising insurance claim denials. They form the foundation of a Personal Option in health care — a system that prioritizes choice, control, and affordability for all Americans. Join the movement: We can’t achieve this vision without your voice. By signing our Personal Option Petition, you’ll join millions of Americans advocating for a transparent, patient-first health care system that works for people — not bureaucracy. |
