Republican Rep. Jason Smith (KS) is doing his privileged, out-of-touch colleagues one better. They all push the idea that Health Savings Accounts are a substitute for actual health insurance, never mind that the majority of people in the United States don't have enough income to have regular savings accounts, much less targeted accounts. That's why it's generally higher income folks—who need the tax advantage that HSAs bring—who use them. HSAs can only be used on actual medical expenses, but Smith wants to change that. He thinks you should be able to buy golf clubs with them.
Smith, a Republican whose district stretches across southeast Missouri, said he knows from experience that it’s more cost-effective to prevent medical conditions than treat them. After losing 60 pounds he was able to stop taking medications for high blood pressure and cholesterol.
“I’m a prime example of how physical activity lowers the cost of health care,” Smith said.
The bill has been promoted by big-name athletes like Herschel Walker and Carl Lewis in the past, and it would be a boon to Kansas City-based UMB Bank, which is one of the nation’s top players in the health savings account market. […]
But would it make people healthier?
Renu Zaretsky, a writer for the Tax Policy Center, is skeptical. […] Zaretsky noted that the bill allows tax-free dollars to purchase golf clubs, though probably only one or two at a time because the legislation limits sports purchases to $250 per transaction. She also said a nonprofit group lobbying for the legislation, PHIT America, includes a number of sponsors from the golf world.
Smith's bill is broad enough that fishing equipment could be included, says Zaretsky, who questions if "golf [is] the best exercise for calorie burn for your buck." Smith counters that he thinks it would be great for low-income families, that they could use the money for their kids to get involved with organized sports and be healthy.
Low-income families would probably rather their kid had health insurance, so that if their kid gets a bone broken while playing some organized sport, they can afford to get her treated.