Industry orgs praise bill allowing supplement purchases with pre-tax money

A recently introduced bill is garnering excitement from the Cosnumer Healthcare Products Association and the Council for Responsible Nutrition. 

Introduced this week by Reps. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., The Dietary Supplements Act (H.R. 5214), would recognize dietary supplement purchases as qualified medical expenses, allowing them to be purchased using health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts. 

CHPA welcomed the move as a way for consumers to get help managing their health.  

“CHPA has long-advocated for the expansion of FSA/HSA eligibility to include more personal healthcare products,” the organization said in a statement. “Last year, a new law was signed reinstating FSA/HSA eligibility for over-the-counter medicines and, for the first time, feminine care products. There is clear momentum to help consumers with their self-care expenses by expanding eligibility in tax-preferred healthcare accounts, and we hope Congress extends this to dietary supplements as well.”

CHPA said estimates show that roughly 60 million Americans uses HSAs and FSAs to use pre-tax money on eligible healthcare expenses. “As consumers are increasingly turning to dietary supplements to support their overall health and wellness, expanding FSA/HSA eligibility to include dietary supplements is an efficient way to help consumers with their health and wellness expenses,” the organization said. 

Also welcoming the legislation was CRN, whose 2020 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements found that more than 170 million Americans take dietary supplements as a method of managing their health and wellness. 

“We believe in incentivizing healthy behaviors and empowering consumer choice,” said CRN president and CEO Steve Mister. “Dietary supplements are cost-effective measures to manage and improve health and wellness that can save taxpayers hundreds of millions — and in some cases billions — of dollars in healthcare costs. CRN enthusiastically supports this legislation. We look forward to working with both sponsors in gathering support and advancing this measure.”