Sam Johnson marks “National Cover the Uninsured Week”
Washington,
May 1 -
Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) drew attention to “National Cover the Uninsured Week” and called on Congress to move forward with common-sense legislation. In the United States, roughly 47 million people are without health insurance. Census Bureau data show that over 5 million people are uninsured in Texas.
“It’s time Congress got serious about increasing the number of Americans with health insurance. Free-market driven solutions will help give people better access to affordable insurance,” said Johnson.
Johnson, a member of the Subcommittee on Health on the Ways and Means Committee, has authored or advocated key legislation to increase the number of Americans with health insurance, including the Small Business Health Fairness Act, H.R. 241, and the Health Savings Account (H.S.A.) Improvement and Expansion Act of 2007, H.R.3234.
Creating Small Business Health Plans: More than 60% of uninsured Americans have ties to a small business. That is why Johnson’s proposal is crucial to solving the uninsured problem. It would allow small businesses to band together to buy health insurance “in bulk” through a reputable association. (Some examples include a local Chamber of Commerce or the National Federation of Independent Business.) These plans would grant small businesses the same “purchasing power” corporate America and the unions already enjoy.
Expanding Health Savings Accounts (H.S.A.s): Used in conjunction with a high-deductible health plan, health savings accounts are designed to help individuals save for future qualified medical and retiree health expenses tax-free. Since the creation of H.S.A.s, an estimated 6.12 million Americans (360,000 Texans) have selected H.S.A.s as their choice for health insurance coverage. Previous studies have shown that almost 1/3 of the new enrollees of HSA plans were previously uninsured. They continue to be an avenue to increase the insured in America.
Johnson backs building on the successes of H.S.A.s by making this tax-free health savings account more appealing, more affordable and more readily available. He would enhance the wildly popular health program in several ways, like increasing HSA contribution limits and making premiums for HSA-compatible insurance tax-deductible, among other things.
“If we are going to cover the uninsured we need to find new and different ways to offer quality, affordable health insurance to more Americans,” said Johnson. “Creating small business health plans and expanding H.S.A.s will do that.”
Johnson represents Collin and Dallas Counties.
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