President Trump

Congressmen seek to codify Trump executive order on transparency, affordability

A trio of Congressmen has introduced a new health care bill he says helps to solve problems of price transparency and affordability.

U.S. Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Ted Yoho, R-Fla.; and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., put forward The Patient Fairness Act, which codifies President Trump’s executive order requiring hospitals to report actual prices of numerous medical procedures publicly.

A second solution would be to expand health savings accounts (HSAs).

Under the plan, individuals or employers would now be able to put more pre-income tax dollars into an HSA. These could then be invested and grow tax-free, provided the funds are used to pay for health-related expenses.

“Many of the health care bills currently circulating in Congress—especially Speaker Pelosi’s H.R. 3—would bring the American health care system more firmly under the control of government,” Davidson said in a news release. “My plan is to increase competition in the market and help Americans save for medical expenses without entangling the federal bureaucracy in personal health care decisions.”