This is just the kind of common sense legislation that is needed and we encourage Congress to pass it immediately for President Biden’s signature.
NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 26, 2021
For more than 70 million Americans, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) help pay for everyday health care costs like doctor visits and co-payments, surprise medical bills, and thousands of qualified medical products that consumers use every day. However, the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis has caused consumers and some lawmakers to ask: Why isn’t personal protective equipment such as masks and other CDC recommended safety precautions, such as hand sanitizer, (collectively known as PPE) available for purchase with FSA and HSA funds?
Health-E Commerce, parent brand of FSAstore.com and HSAstore.com, the first and leading online marketplaces for exclusively eligible FSA and HSA products, is lending its voice and support to proposed legislation that would change this and finally make PPE eligible for spending account reimbursement.
A second chance to make the right decision
In October 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced HR 8450, sponsored by Representative John Curtis (R-UT-3), which would have allowed for PPE to be FSA/HSA eligible until the end of the year in which the current state of emergency ends. That bill did not pass. Now, with a new Congress being sworn in this year, Representatives John Curtis (R-UT), Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) have introduced the Protecting Individuals and Families Act, (H.R. 373). With its re-introduction, lawmakers have a second chance to give Americans the ability to purchase protective masks and hand sanitizer, which are encouraged by the CDC to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“We commend Representatives John Curtis, Ami Bera and Jeff Van Drew for their bipartisan leadership in helping hardworking families during this pandemic. Their legislation would allow 70 million Americans to immediately access funds in their FSAs and HSAs to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) like face masks and hand sanitizer,” said Preston Farrington, CEO of Health-E Commerce. “This is just the kind of common sense legislation that is needed and we encourage Congress to pass it immediately for President Biden’s signature.”
H.R. 373 is being introduced with bipartisan sponsors, which means the case to make PPE FSA/HSA eligible has never been stronger. However, support from the public is still needed to push this much-needed change in account eligibility over the finish line.
To drive support for this legislation and ensure that American families can use their tax-free funds to cover the costs of necessary medical essentials like PPE, Health-E Commerce and its family of brands has launched an online petition and a new FSA/HSA consumer advocacy site called TaxFreeBetter.com, and is encouraging consumers to take the following actions:
1. Visit the online petition page and add your name, indicating you believe FSA and HSA users should be able to purchase medical necessities like PPE with their tax-free dollars. You can also share this link on your social media pages.
2. Visit TaxFreeBetter.com and use one of the form letters provided to contact your member of Congress to voice your support for PPE eligibility. Simply click "Contact Your Member of Congress" at the bottom of the page and follow the directions provided.
To learn more about this legislation or the petition to expand FSA and HSA legislation to include PPE, visit http://www.TaxFreeBetter.com.
Contact: Barbara Tabor / 651.230.9192 / barbara@taborpr.com
About Health-E Commerce
Health-E Commerce is the parent brand of FSAstore.com, HSAstore.com, and WellDeservedHealth.com, a family of brands serving the 70+ million consumers with tax-free health and wellness accounts. Since 2010, Health-E Commerce's brand portfolio has led the direct-to-consumer e-commerce market for tax-free health and wellness benefits and helped partners and everyday Americans benefit better through its 100% eligible product selection and easy-to-understand educational resources. Health-E Commerce plays an essential role in consumer advocacy in the tax-free health space through both advocating for eligibility of important new categories within the IRS-approved list of eligible medical expenses and leading a committee of industry experts to promote the important national conversation around product safety and authenticity.