Who said the Senate health care bill is dead? In fact, the Senate is in full deal-making mode. The bill now gets $45 billion in funding to deal with opioid addiction, and Republican Senators are near an agreement to allow customer to use Health Savings Account money to pay for premiums.
The additions come as Senate Republicans are scrambling to get to 50 votes on their health care legislation. Both additions are expected to help get additional Republicans on board — opioid funding could help win over moderates and HSAs for conservatives. But there is no guarantee the language will do enough to substantially improve the bill’s prospects, Republican sources said.
Conservatives like the idea of allowing people to use HSA funding to pay for premiums, arguing that it drives down premiums and encourages the use of the savings accounts.