Rep. Roy Introduces Legislation Advancing Healthcare Freedom

WASHINGTON —  Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) introduced the Direct Medical Care Freedom Act today to further his goal of bringing true health freedom to the American people.

Congressman Roy said: “We need a way out of our broken healthcare system. Short of the massive industry-wide overhaul that we need, radical expansion of health savings accounts and direct medical care are the best ways to improve the healthcare system for everyday Americans.

The Direct Medical Care Freedom Act puts patients back in control by letting them go directly to a doctor for care with tax-advantaged dollars that they control.  If we want to Make America Healthy Again, we need to work around the crony government-insurance racket, and this bill is a critical part of doing that.”

The Direct Medical Care Freedom Act:

This bill seeks to reverse the IRS’s attack on direct medical care by doing the following:

Direct Primary Care

• Clarifies that Direct Primary Care is not a health plan.
• Ensures that Direct Primary Care is considered a qualified HSA medical expense without a cap.
  • No other qualified medical expense for HSA funds is subject to a cap – DPC and DSC should be no different.

Direct Specialty Care

• Preemptively declares that Direct Specialty Care is not a health plan. 
• Ensures that Direct Specialty Care is considered a qualified HSA medical expense without a cap.

The Direct Medical Care Freedom Act will allow individuals to use these innovative healthcare solutions without fear that they will be audited or not able to access other health insurance plans because they choose to find cost-saving solutions for themselves and their families.

This bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ-05) and Barry Moore (AL-01).

This bill is supported by Heritage Action, DPC Action, Free2Care, Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom, and the Independent Medical Alliance.

Text of the legislation is available here.

Quotes from supporting organizations:

"The Direct Medical Care Freedom Act, introduced today by Congressman Roy, ensures that direct medical care receives the same tax advantages as insurance-based medical care when using an HSA. This timely bill recognizes the transformative impact of the Direct Primary Care (DPC) movement and removes government roadblocks that could hinder innovation in these emerging medical practices. I deeply appreciate Congressman Roy's commitment to reforming our broken healthcare system."  

• Chad Savage, M.D., President, DPC Action

“Medical care provided in a cash-based direct-pay relationship is still medical care. The IRS has wrongly deemed such medical care to be health insurance. Thank you to Congressman Roy for moving to right a wrong so Americans with HSAs can use these health care dollars to pay for the often more affordable, more accessible, and more personalized DPC model of medical care.”

• Twila Brase, RN, PHN Co-founder and President of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom

"The Independent Medical Alliance (IMA) is committed to the pursuit of Honest Medicine, and we wholeheartedly endorse Congressman Chip Roy's Direct Medical Care Freedom Act. This legislation seeks to eliminate the burdensome regulations that incorrectly categorize Direct Primary Care (DPC) and Direct Specialty Care (DSC) as insurance, which currently restricts patients' access to affordable, transparent medical services.”

“By ensuring that DPC and DSC are recognized as qualified HSA expenses without arbitrary caps, this bill would empower both patients and healthcare providers to engage in more cost-effective, patient-centered care, free from unnecessary bureaucratic interference.  We applaud this initiative for its potential to expand healthcare freedom, reduce costs, and restore patient choice.”

• Independent Medical Alliance

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