[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5273-H5274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CHRONIC DISEASE FLEXIBLE COVERAGE ACT

  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3800) to codify Internal Revenue Service guidance 
relating to treatment of certain services and items for chronic 
conditions as meeting the preventive care deductible safe harbor for 
purposes of high deductible health plans in connection with health 
savings accounts, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3800

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Chronic Disease Flexible 
     Coverage Act''.

     SEC. 2. SERVICES AND ITEMS FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS TREATED AS 
                   PREVENTIVE CARE.

       (a) In General.--The additional preventive care services 
     and items for chronic conditions that may be treated as 
     preventive care for purposes of section 223(c)(2)(C) of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as set forth in IRS Notice 
     2019-45 shall have the same force and effect as if included 
     in the enactment of this Act.
       (b) No Inference.--To the extent not inconsistent with this 
     section, no inference shall be made from subsection (a) with 
     respect to such other rules or guidance as the Secretary has 
     provided, or may provide, with respect to preventive services 
     for purposes of section 223(c)(2)(C) of such Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic 
disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Nearly 90 percent 
of the $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare spending in this country goes 
toward the treatment of patients with chronic diseases.
  Part of improving the delivery of healthcare in America must be 
expanding the opportunity for folks to better manage their chronic 
health conditions so that they can live longer, healthier lives, and we 
can bring down the financial impact of healthcare on individuals, 
families, businesses, and the government.
  The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act, introduced by Ways and 
Means colleagues Dr. Wenstrup and Representative Blumenauer, will 
expand treatment and disease management options by allowing employers 
that offer high-deductible healthcare plans to also offer predeductible 
coverage, otherwise known as first-dollar coverage, for 14 chronic 
healthcare services.
  Those services include beta blockers for patients with congestive 
heart failure, blood pressure monitors for patients with high blood 
pressure, inhalers for patients with asthma, and cholesterol drugs and 
testing for patients with heart disease. The list does not have to end 
there. In fact, the bill also allows for that list of covered services 
to be expanded in the future.
  The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act actually codifies a Trump 
administration policy that will incentivize employers to offer coverage 
for these services so that they can lower healthcare costs for their 
workers and their businesses.
  High-deductible health plans are a great option for employers and 
employees looking for more affordable coverage, and this bill will make 
them even more beneficial to individuals with chronic disease.
  Flexibilities like these in care delivery and coverage options are 
key to improving patient outcomes, and I encourage all of my colleagues 
to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act is sponsored 
by Dr. Wenstrup and Representative Earl Blumenauer. I thank my 
colleague Dr. Wenstrup and my friend Earl Blumenauer for their tireless 
work in healthcare and on healthcare issues.
  As Earl prepares to retire, I recognize that he has long been a 
champion for improving care and services for those with chronic 
illnesses. I will miss his leadership on the Ways and Means Committee 
and in Congress.
  While I voted against the bill in committee, I do understand the 
principle about trying to protect people from high out-of-pocket costs. 
This bill codifies the safe harbor for preventive services for high-
deductible plans that offer additional preventive benefits 
predeductible.
  Given that the bill codifies the regulation, it is not making a new 
policy or giving Americans any protections they don't currently enjoy.
  While I understand the desire to help workers stuck in high-
deductible plans, we really need to look at the impact high-deductible 
plans are having on patients and families and how they contribute to 
medical debt.
  More than 100 million Americans are saddled with medical debt that 
can often be as a result of plans with high deductibles. We know out-
of-pocket costs deter Americans from getting the care that they need, 
and we must change that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to

[[Page H5274]]

the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup).
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 3800, the Chronic Disease Flexible 
Coverage Act. I am proud to lead this bill with my colleague Earl 
Blumenauer.
  As a physician, I have seen firsthand the impact that chronic disease 
is having on patients. Six in ten Americans live with at least one 
chronic disease. According to the CDC, approximately 90 percent of the 
United States' healthcare spending is attributed to managing and 
treating patients with chronic diseases and mental health conditions.

  Clearly, we must take action to help Americans living with chronic 
disease better manage and treat their conditions. This bill would give 
employers who offer high-deductible health plans the option to cover 14 
chronic care management medical services before an individual reaches 
their deductible.
  In doing this, this bill allows employers the flexibility that helps 
incentivize their employees to adhere to services that help manage 
their chronic condition and keep them healthier. This is a win-win-win. 
It is a win for the patient, a win for the employer, and a win for our 
Nation, where we manage healthy patients and keep them healthy so that 
they will be able to go to work and live a full life.
  Surveys show that when you offer employers the opportunity to expand 
predeductible services, they see the value in doing so and choose to 
give their employees that very opportunity.
  Every American deserves to live a healthy life or as healthy as 
possible considering their health situation. This bill would help 
Americans do just that, by better managing and treating chronic 
conditions that affect so many of our fellow citizens.
  Patients are served well when their disease is treated before it 
progresses and gets worse. When patients with chronic disease can 
access care sooner, they can stay healthier longer. A healthy nation is 
a strong nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, this legislation was approved by 
the Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, and 
I hope we can show that same level of support here today. I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Edwards). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3800, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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