IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1184 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 15th anniversary of the creation of Health Savings Accounts should be remembered 

as a turning point in the history of health care in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 20, 2018 

Mr. PAULSEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the 15th anniversary of the creation of Health Savings 

Accounts should be remembered as a turning point in 

the history of health care in the United States. 

Whereas Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were created in 

section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as part 

of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 

Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–173); 

Whereas, December 8, 2018, marks the 15th anniversary of 

the enactment of Health Savings Accounts; 

Whereas an increasing number of Americans are facing rising 

out-of-pocket health care costs as they struggle to find 

affordable coverage; 


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•HRES 1184 IH 

Whereas Health Savings Accounts help more than 20 million 

Americans pay for out-of-pocket health care costs; 

Whereas there are more than 23 million Health Savings Accounts holding more than $51,000,000,000 in assets; 

Whereas a Health Savings Account paired with HSA-qualified insurance provides protection against future high or 

unexpected medical bills; 

Whereas a HSA provides triple tax savings including— 

(1) tax deductions when funds are deposited into the 

account; 

(2) tax-free earnings through investment; and 

(3) tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses; 

Whereas funds in Health Savings Accounts do not expire at 

the end of each calendar year and roll over automatically 

from one year to the next, accumulating over time; 

Whereas there are no ‘‘use it or lose it’’ rules for HSAs; 

Whereas funds in a Health Savings Account may be used to 

pay for current medical expenses, or saved for future 

needs, such as— 

(1) medical expenses not covered by health insurance; 

(2) health insurance premiums or out-of-pocket medical expenses if unemployed; 

(3) out-of-pocket medical expenses after retirement; 

(4) out-of-pocket expenses for individuals covered by 

Medicare; and 

(5) long-term care expenses and insurance; 

Whereas funds in Health Savings Accounts may be invested 

in the same types of investments permitted for Individual 

Retirement Accounts; 


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Whereas Health Savings Account owners control all the decisions about— 

(1) which financial institution to hold deposits in the 

account; 

(2) how much money to deposit into the account; 

(3) whether to save the money in the account for future expenses or pay current medical expenses; 

(4) which medical expenses to pay from the account; 

(5) whether to invest any of the money in the account; and 

(6) which investments to make; and 

Whereas Health Savings Accounts are completely portable, 

meaning account owners may keep their HSA even if 

they— 

(1) change jobs; 

(2) become unemployed; 

(3) change their health insurance policy; 

(4) change their marital status; or 

(5) move to another State: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commemorates the 15th anniversary of the 

3 creation of Health Savings Accounts; 

4 (2) commends those individuals and organiza5 tions that have brought Health Savings Accounts 

6 and their associated HSA-qualified health plans to 

7 American consumers, including employers, insurers, 

8 banks, credit unions, and third-party administrators; 

9 (3) recognizes the current and former staff of 

10 the Department of the Treasury, the Internal RevVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Dec 21, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1184.IH HR1184

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•HRES 1184 IH 

1 enue Service, and the Department of Labor in shap2 ing the policies and implementation of Health Sav3 ings Accounts; 

4 (4) encourages all Americans to consider par5 ticipating in a Health Savings Account to help them 

6 pay for their out-of-pocket health care expenses and 

7 plan for their future expenses in retirement; and 

8 (5) supports the expansion of Health Savings 

9 Accounts in public insurance programs such as 

10 Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and the Veterans Af11 fairs health system. 

Æ 


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