Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (IL-16), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), John Curtis (UT-03), and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) today introduced the Dietary Supplements Access Act, which will promote Americans' ability to make personal healthcare decisions, support healthy lifestyles by modernizing the availability and coverage of vitamins and minerals, and recognize the valuable role nutritional supplements play in helping to achieve better health outcomes and promote cost savings.
“Ensuring that Americans are able to utilize their Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) as a tool to make personal healthcare choices for their families remains one of my priorities,” said Rep. LaHood. “As enrollment in HSA’s continues to grow, our bill would remove unnecessary barriers to better meet the needs of consumers. This bipartisan approach would allow over-the-counter nutrition and dietary supplements to be considered as qualified medical expenses under HSAs and FSAs so that a patient can choose to utilize their health savings dollars to access these dietary supplements.”
"More than 22 million Americans have chosen to enroll in a health savings account coupled with a consumer-direct health plan," said Rep Boyle. "Given this substantial demand, action should be taken to better meet consumer needs. Since HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs, require a prescription for the reimbursement of vitamins it makes sense to remove barriers to supplementing nutrient-deficient diets. This legislation will serve to remove many impediments to self-care, with the goal of creating a sensible path toward better health for all."
“The bipartisan legislation is a big deal for Utahns who use these products to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Rep. Curtis. “This bill also sends a clear message to consumers that Congress is serious about giving more Americans choice in how they take care of their health care needs, as well as the importance of proactive care. What works for one person may not work for another, and too often one-size-fits-all policymaking leads to higher costs for consumers and their families.”
“For many, dietary nutritional supplements — like vitamins and minerals — are key to supporting their health. I’m proud to help lead the bipartisan Dietary Supplements Access Act to make over-the-counter dietary supplements more affordable. We need to do everything we can to boost access to nutritional supplements,” said Rep. Gottheimer.
Roughly 80% of Americans use vitamins and dietary supplements for a range of benefits, from addressing nutrient deficiencies to strengthening bones and helping to prevent osteoporosis. Vitamins and dietary supplements can be a part of preventative care that can create cost savings to employers, consumers, and the entire healthcare system. Currently, Americans with health-related savings accounts can not be reimbursed for the out-of-pocket expenses they pay for nutritional and dietary supplements.
This bipartisan legislation would amend the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to include over-the-counter dietary supplement products as a qualified medical expense. This change would allow Americans to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to purchase dietary supplements, giving millions of Americans increased health and wellness options for better self-care.
The legislation is supported by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, American Herbal Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Natural Products Association, and United Natural Products Alliance.
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