How to Expand Health Care Choice and Access

By Grover Norquist
November 02, 2020

Throughout the 2020 campaign, voters have looked for candidates who will strengthen financial security for the American people and deliver health care choice and access to families.

While there are many proposals that could help achieve these goals, one simple way to do so is by expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) so that Americans can pay for their health care tax-free during the duration of the pandemic. 

Newly released polling data conducted by McLaughlin and Associates found that voters support this policy by a margin of four to one with 67 percent of respondents supporting the policy and just 15 percent opposing it. Importantly, support for HSA expansion is bipartisan – the policy is supported by over 65 percent of independents, 70 percent of Democrats and nearly 65 percent of Republicans.

This proposal can be enacted by passing S.3546/H.R. 6338, the Pandemic Health care Access Act, a one-page bill introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Congressman Ted Budd (R-N.C.).

Today, 30 million American families and individuals use HSAs to pay for common health care expenses, including doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, and hospital care. However, hundreds of millions of Americans do not have access to an HSA because of the government requirement that says Americans only qualify for an HSA if they have a high deductible health plan (HDHP).

The Pandemic Health care Access Act suspends this requirement for as long as the coronavirus emergency declaration is in effect…

Grover Norquist is President of Americans for Tax Reform