[reaganaut1]

Flex spending accounts are not more of a "hassle" than fighting with an insurance company over reimbursement. Wasteful year-end spending could be avoided simply by letting people roll over unused funds to the next year. There could be limits on the amount of money that is accumulated in a health savings account. There is too much unnecessary health care spending because it is paid by third parties -- insurance companies and the goverment. Democrats want to exacerbate that by removing a tax-advantaged option for people to spend their own money on health care.

[Erik Latranyi]

Wasteful year-end spending could be avoided simply by letting people roll over unused funds to the next year.

That is what a health savings account is, which exist and work extremely well in lowering healthcare spending (consumer can negotiate with doctors) and increase savings for families.

Flexible Spending Accounts was a liberal way of a half-measure health savings account.

[DB]

The Democrats claim that people are not paying their way for health care and they are going to “fix it”. Yet every group the Democrats go after are already paying their own way. Tax people who save money for their own health care and who are not taking it from their neigbors. Tax people with insurance that is nicer than what the government wants to offer... Tax the “wealthy” who are already paying their own way along with paying for many others as well...

The Democrats are liars and thieves.

[DB]

Democrats have to micromanage every aspect of our lives...

Democrats have no problem sacrificing liberty for “the greater good” all without any understanding of what the greater good really is.

[SuziQ]

We would love to purchase a high deductible, Catastrophic Health Insurance plan, that allows for a generous HSA. From that HSA, we'd be happy to pay the full price for routine care; physicals, mammos, pap smears, colonoscopies, vaccinations, prescriptions, etc. But those types of policies are apparently not for sale in MA, because the Dem legislature doesn't allow for them. The only high deductible plans cover 100% of costs of care, after co-pays, but it's twice as much as we were paying in premiums before! It's ridiculous!

Obamacare will be Romneycare on steroids, and Romneycare, which might have been a good idea, as far as helping folks out who couldn't afford insurance, or covering folks who might not be able to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, has morphed into a bureaucratic nightmare. The Democrats in the Legislature are deciding what coverage everyone should have, whether you want it, or not!

The first year, our premiums weren't too bad, considering this is MA. It was around 9K for the year, for hubby, me, and our two college aged kids. When it came time to renew, the state piled Prescription Drug Coverage onto the policy, with an additional $4K premium! We asked that it be taken off, since we didn't want it, and we were told that it was mandated by the legislature. Buncha Nanny-Staters believe they know better than we what we need. Disgusting!

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Healthcsre savings accounts WORK and WORK WELL. They give employees (taxpayers) a way to save on taxes while saving for healthcare expenses - and the lower taxes benefit the employers who then pay less in their part of the tax burden!

OF COURSE Dems do NOT LIKE these healthcare savings accounts because they lower taxes and they give more freedom to the consumers of healthcare - taxpayers!

I love my healthcare savings account and use it every year (if you don’t use it you lose it)...I will go now and join those fighting to KEEP these freedom giving, consumer driven, tax saving accounts!!

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Here is the website: http://www.savemyflexplan.org/

ANOTHER call to action.....

[businessprofessor]

These accounts should be called inflexible spending accounts because of the requirement to spend the money in a fiscal year. The tax code needs revision on health care. I would apply uniform deduction limits to health care spending for individuals covering both employer based plans and non employer plans. Health savings accounts would be used to bank the deductions for both. The tax code has a terrible provision by favoring employer deductions and not allowing individual deductions.

[cookcounty]

"Flex spending accounts are not more of a "hassle" than fighting with an insurance company over reimbursement. Wasteful year-end spending could be avoided simply by letting people roll over unused funds to the next year. "

The is already the case with Health Savings Accounts. The New York Times is deceitfully writing this story. HSA's are ALSO being made illegal in both HB3200 AND the Baucus bill. The HSA with a Hidh-Deductible (HDHP) is the BEST for many, many people (I am speaking from personal experience) . According to the HSA Newsletter, 8 million have it ...and will lose it.

[cookcounty]

"Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana and author of the Senate health care bill, would like to place a much lower $2,500 annual limit on what people can save, among other restrictions.

(underlining mine.)
The definition of "acceptable plan" ALSO makes it illegal, even if one is saving much less than $2500/year in the HSA.

Unfortunately there does not seem to be a Democrat anywhere who has been willing or able to engage on this issue.