WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cosponsored the bipartisan Chronic Disease Management Act, which makes health care more affordable and accessible for Arizonans by allowing patients with chronic conditions who have high-deductible health plans to utilize their insurance benefits sooner, rather than wait until they reach their deductible.
“Allowing high-deductible health plans to cover more preventative care will save Arizona families thousands of dollars in medical costs every year, making health care more affordable for everyday Arizonans,” said Sinema.
High-deductible health plans prove costly for patients with chronic diseases, like diabetes, because they must purchase most preventative medical supplies out of pocket until they reach their deductible. The Sinema-backed bill amends regulations to allow a plan sponsor chose to cover more secondary preventative care for chronic conditions before a patient reaches their deductible.
Health savings accounts allow individuals to contribute pre-tax dollars to defray medical costs. In order to make contributions towards a health savings account, individuals must be enrolled in a qualified high deductible health plan, which must have a deductible above $1,350 for an individual or $2,7000 for a family, an out-of-pocket minimum below $6,750 ($13,500 family), and only cover basic preventative health care before meeting a deductible.
