Congress will soon vote on health care reform legislation that could harm the more than 8 million Americans who have a health savings account (HSA) and restrict those who want to purchase HSA coverage in the future.

Starting this week, the House of Representatives will begin debate on the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and the Senate is expected to finish work on its version of health care reform shortly.

Both the House and Senate bills make major changes that would impact people with HSAs:

• Both bills mandate benefit levels for most health plans that could eliminate HSAs as an option.
• Both bills prohibit you from using any money in your HSAs to buy over-the-counter drugs such as allergy medications that you now get without a prescription.
• The Senate bill may place a tax on high-value health plans, so-called "Cadillac" plans, by taxing the cost of such coverage, including employer contributions to your HSA.
• Both bills raise the penalty for the use of HSA dollars for non-qualified medical expenses from 10% to 20% of the reimbursement.

It is important that you take the time to contact your members of Congress and let them know that you depend on your HSA for affordable coverage and the flexibility to set aside tax-free dollars to pay for your health care expenses.

Enter your zip code and find contact information for your Senators.

When contacting your member of Congress, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Over 8 million Americans currently have coverage through HSAs – people should be able to keep the coverage they currently have.
• Going forward, people should be able to choose what works best for them – including the right to pick a health savings account that allows them to decide how best to spend their health care dollars.
• Employers that offer HSAs should be allowed to continue to provide these benefits to their employees.