The House passed a measure to delay ObamaCare’s health insurance tax for two years and expand Health Savings Accounts, part of a GOP effort to try to lower premiums, The Hill reported. The bill, which passed 242-176, is part of a Republican effort to blunt Democratic attacks on the GOP for rising premiums — a key argument in the midterm elections this year. The health insurance tax has been criticized by Republicans and some Democrats for driving up premiums. “This is a flawed tax that gets passed onto American families,” Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) said. Democrats said that the measures would have no substantial impact on premiums, and instead pointed to Republican efforts to protect themselves in the midterms. The health insurance tax has already been suspended for 2019. This bill suspends the tax for 2020 and 2021 as well. The measure also expands Health Savings Accounts, tax-free ways for people to save for health expenses, and expands the number of ObamaCare enrollees eligible to purchase lower premium “catastrophic” plans with high deductibles.
