Helping Everyone Access Long Term Healthcare Act of 2025; HEALTH Act of 2025
Summary
The "Helping Everyone Access Long Term Healthcare Act of 2025" (HEALTH Act of 2025) aims to improve healthcare access by providing tax deductions for physicians who furnish qualified charity care. It also seeks to limit the liability of physicians providing such care. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Public Health Service Act to achieve these goals.
Expected Effects
The HEALTH Act could increase the availability of healthcare services for low-income individuals enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. Physicians may be more willing to provide charity care if they receive a tax deduction and have limited liability. However, the exclusion of certain services related to gender alteration could spark controversy.
Potential Benefits
- Increased access to healthcare for Medicaid and CHIP recipients.
- Financial incentives for physicians to provide charity care through tax deductions.
- Reduced liability for physicians providing qualified charity care, potentially encouraging more participation.
- Could lead to better health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
- May reduce the burden on existing healthcare facilities by expanding the pool of providers offering charity care.
Most Benefited Areas:
Potential Disadvantages
- The exclusion of specific services (gender alteration) may be discriminatory and face legal challenges.
- Potential for increased tax burden on other taxpayers to offset the deduction for physicians.
- The definition of 'qualified charity care' may be too narrow, limiting the scope of the act's impact.
- Could create administrative complexities in determining the 'unreimbursed Medicare-based value' of charity care.
- The preemption clause regarding state laws could lead to conflicts and legal challenges.
Constitutional Alignment
The bill's alignment with the Constitution is mixed. The provision of healthcare potentially aligns with the "general Welfare" clause of the Preamble. However, the exclusion of specific services based on gender identity could raise concerns under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The preemption of state laws, as outlined in Section 3, is generally permissible under the Supremacy Clause (Article VI), provided the federal law is within Congress's enumerated powers.
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).