Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that each State should revise its laws and regulations to enable individuals and small businesses to obtain health insurance through the combination of a health savings account and a high-deductible health plan.

Calls for each state to examine its laws and regulations and make changes to ensure that: (1) individuals and small businesses are able to obtain high-deductible health plan coverage to take full advantage of health savings accounts; and (2) health savings accounts receive, under state tax law, tax-favored treatment equivalent to that provided under federal tax law.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 371 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 371

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that each State 
should revise its laws and regulations to enable individuals and small 
  businesses to obtain health insurance through the combination of a 
       health savings account and a high-deductible health plan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2005

  Mr. Kuhl of New York submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that each State 
should revise its laws and regulations to enable individuals and small 
  businesses to obtain health insurance through the combination of a 
       health savings account and a high-deductible health plan.

Whereas Federal law provides for obtaining health insurance coverage through the 
        establishment of a tax-favored health savings account in conjunction 
        with a high-deductible health plan that typically costs substantially 
        less than traditional health insurance;
Whereas the number of people covered in March 2005 by products combining a 
        health savings account with a high-deductible health plan (commonly 
        known as an HSA/HDHP plan) exceeded 1,000,000, which was more than 
        double the number of people covered by such products in September 2004;
Whereas among individuals newly enrolled in HSA/HDHP plans, 37 percent are 
        people who were previously uninsured with respect to health care;
Whereas in the small group market, 27 percent of policies for HSA/HDHP coverage 
        are for small companies that previously did not offer health insurance 
        coverage to their employees;
Whereas health savings accounts and high-deductible health plans can provide an 
        affordable and accessible health insurance option for individuals of all 
        ages and for small businesses;
Whereas many States currently have in effect laws and regulations that require 
        insurers to provide specific benefit coverages in the health insurance 
        plans they offer, preventing individuals and small business from 
        enrolling in high-deductible health plans and thereby making them 
        ineligible for health savings accounts; and
Whereas many States have in effect laws and regulations that dilute the tax 
        benefits of health savings accounts because deposits to or withdrawals 
        from such accounts are not exempt from State taxes: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved,  That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that each State should examine its laws and regulations and make such 
changes as may be appropriate to ensure that--
            (1) individuals and small businesses in the State are able 
        to obtain high-deductible health plan coverage and thereby take 
        full advantage of health savings accounts; and
            (2) health savings accounts are provided tax-favored 
        treatment under State tax laws that is equivalent to such 
        treatment under Federal tax laws.
                                 <all>