MEDIA RELEASE                                           CONTACT: For Immediate Release                                  Greg Moore (cell) April 21, 2008                                                 (603) 568-8159
John Stephen Criticizes House Vote to Undermine HSAs Rep. Shea-Porter Cast Deciding Vote To Undermine Health Plan For 4.5 Million Americans
MANCHESTER, NH- 1st District Congressional Candidate John Stephen today criticized Congress' vote last week to undermine Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) through additional regulation.  The House of Representatives passed legislation, HR 5719, the so-called "Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act," to require every HSA transaction reviewed and verified as a medical expense.  This would add a costly layer of bureaucracy to HSAs, which would increase their costs and cut their flexibility.  Currently, the IRS already has the authority to audit HSA expenses to ensure they are legitimate.
"This is just the latest example of a Washington that loves to pass new mandates and regulations that drive up the cost of health care and stifle innovation," said Stephen.  "HSAs empower individuals to make their own health care decisions, which is why 4.5 million Americans use them.  Almost a third of people who have HSAs had no insurance before and 33 percent of HSAs are bought by small businesses that did not offer health insurance before this innovative approach.  Now Congress wants to undermine these plans with unnecessary red tape.  These ‘representatives' need to ask themselves whether or not they are truly committed to covering more uninsured."
Stephen stressed that as Commissioner of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire proposed Medicaid reform models that focused on consumer empowerment and choice in health care.  He pointed out that Rep. Carol Shea-Porter voted to add this regulation on HSAs and also cast the deciding vote against a motion to recommit the legislation to committee to strip out the provision undermining HSAs.  The motion failed on a deadlocked 210-210 vote on the House floor, paving the way for the vote on the legislation.
"Rep. Shea-Porter needs to explain to the many New Hampshire residents who now have health insurance because of HSAs why she voted to drive up their health care costs and add a major paperwork headache for them," Stephen added.  "Giving people the tools to control their health care, empowering them to make important health-related decisions, and promoting savings of their own money has resulted in the purchase of affordable HSA plans for many individuals all across the country.  Now, representatives like Rep. Shea-Porter want to turn back the clock on an innovative health care tool to create the political will for the one-size-fits-all national health care plan she has proposed.  If we want to make health care affordable, we need to start trusting people to make the appropriate choices about health care, and the federal government must remove unnecessary regulation, not add to it."
John Stephen is the former Commissioner of Health and Human Services. Prior to that position, he served as the Assistant Commissioner of Safety, where he also served as the state's Coordinator of Homeland Security. Stephen also served as a prosecutor for 10 years, in Hillsborough County and as an Assistant Attorney General. He is a Manchester resident.