Take Action on Important Health Savings Plan Legislation Pending Before Congress
You can make a difference by contacting your Representative in Congress to urge passage of important legislation impacting your RHS plan
This is your chance to make a difference in policy issues that impact you personally. We're asking that you urge your Representative and Senators to cosponsor the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act (H.R. 1820) in the House of Representatives, and its companion bill in the Senate, Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2007 (S. 1556) and to work for their prompt enactment.
A provision in this bill would correct the beneficiary inequity that currently exists in Retirement Health Savings (RHS) programs, which you know as Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA). The proposal would allow an employee to have his or her HRA reimburse the uninsured medical expenses of a non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiary.
With your help this important legislation could become law.
Please consider emailing your Representative and Senators to urge their support for this legislation.
- To find your Representative's or Senator's contact information, use the U.S. House directory or U.S. Senate contact page.
- Copy the text into your personal e-mail
- Insert the name of your Representative or Senator at the top and your name at the bottom and send.
Sample E-mail for Plan Participants to Send to Representatives
Dear Representative:
As a constituent and as a public sector employee who participates in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) through my employer, I am writing to urge you to cosponsor and support passage of the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2007 (H.R. 1820).
The overall thrust of the bill would provide tax parity to non-spouse/non-dependent individuals who qualify for and receive employer-provided health plan benefits.
In my view, the most important provision in the bill would override current Treasury rules concerning non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiaries and direct the Treasury to issue rules that allow an employee to elect to have his Health Reimbursement Arrangement reimburse the uninsured medical expenses of a non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiary. This provision would allow me to name a person other than a spouse or dependent as an eligible beneficiary for my HRA and is an important fairness issue. As it stands now, I am not allowed to do that.
I urge you to cosponsor the bill and thank you in advance for your support for this important legislation.
Respectfully yours,
Jane Doe
Town of Vantagepoint
Sample E-mail for Plan Participants to Send to Senators
As a constituent and as a public sector employee who participates in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) through my employer, I am writing to urge you to cosponsor and support passage of the Tax Equity for Domestic Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2007 (S. 1556).
The overall thrust of the bill would provide tax parity to non-spouse/non-dependent individuals who qualify for and receive employer-provided health plan benefits.
In my view, the most important provision in the bill would override current Treasury rules concerning non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiaries and direct the Treasury to issue rules that allow an employee to elect to have his Health Reimbursement Arrangement reimburse the uninsured medical expenses of a non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiary. This provision would allow me to name a person other than a spouse or dependent as an eligible beneficiary for my HRA and is an important fairness issue. As it stands now, I am not allowed to do that.
I urge you to co-sponsor the bill and thank you in advance for your support for this important legislation.
Respectfully yours,
Jane Doe
Town of Vantagepoint