Letter to the editor: Trump can improve health care without spending more taxpayer money

OPINION:

The Trump administration can deliver health care relief to millions of Americans without spending a dime of taxpayer money.

By removing outdated, government-imposed barriers, the Trump administration can allow Americans to use their own tax-advantaged health accounts, including HSAs and FSAs, to purchase lifesaving digital health tools.

Current IRS interpretations of “medical care” are stuck in the 1990s. Although legacy medical devices are covered, modern “dual-use” technologies — such as smartwatches that detect atrial fibrillation or clinically validated apps for chronic disease management — are often disqualified because they also have consumer functions.

Under current rules, these tools require burdensome “letters of medical necessity,” a bureaucratic hurdle that prevents working families and seniors from accessing the technology they need.

The administration doesn’t need to wait for Congress to fix this. Existing authority in the Treasury Department and the IRS can update the definition of qualified medical expenses to include modern health technology. By recognizing that products providing genuine medical benefits often serve dual purposes, the administration can eliminate the need for case-by-case approvals and streamline access for those who need it most.

This reform is especially vital for rural Americans with limited access to specialists, working families who cannot afford time off for frequent visits and seniors who rely on continuous remote monitoring to stay out of the emergency room.

The Connected Health Initiative and our members are actively advancing legislative solutions to solve this problem. We are the leading effort behind the WEAR IT Act, bipartisan legislation that would explicitly update the tax code to include digital health technologies as qualified medical expenses.

In the meantime, we must align the U.S. tax code with 21st-century medicine. By removing these unnecessary barriers, the administration can empower American innovation and allow citizens to use their own money to stay healthy.

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BRIAN SCARPELLI

Executive director, Connected Health Initiative

Washington