The Trump administration is exploring a proposal that would allow high-deductible plans with health savings accounts to cover preventive services such as providing free insulin, a White House advisor said.
The proposal, outlined by White House healthcare advisor Brian Blase, would redefine what a preventive service is in a health savings account eligible high-deductible plan.
"We should figure out a way that insulin for diabetics is considered a preventive service that people should use their HSA for," Blase said during an event sponsored by Roll Call in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
Blase didn't say when the proposal would be released. However, the Trump administration previously has explored the idea of expanding preventive services. High-deductible health plans linked to an HSA are increasingly being used by employers to rein in costs.
The White House did explore a draft executive order in 2017 to allow patients enrolled in a high-deductible plan to access care for chronic conditions before meeting their deductible.
The consultant Mercer predicted that it expects 72% of large employers this year will offer a health plan with an HSA.
Congress has also looked into expanding HSAs, a favorite area of reform for Republicans. Several bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017 included provisions to expand HSAs.
The House Ways & Means Committee's health subcommittee held a hearing last year on how to expand the use of HSAs, including lifting contribution limits or expanding the services an HSA can pay for.
But now Democrats are in charge of the House and are pursuing more progressive policies, including the roll out on Wednesday of "Medicare for All." A bill on that proposal, which has been previously introduced in other iterations, enjoys the support of more than 100 co-sponsors.