The White House says a 2025 tax law opened health savings accounts to up to ten million people who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, often called Obamacare. The claim appears in a fact sheet released October 19, 2026 about women’s health. It credits the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which the fact sheet says “expanded access to health savings accounts for up to ten million people on Obamacare.”
Ten million is the administration’s figure; the fact sheet does not say how it was counted or which enrollees it covers. The mechanics come from the IRS, which in Notice 2026-5 says bronze and catastrophic plans bought through an Exchange “will be treated as an HDHP,” a high-deductible health plan, for months beginning after December 31, 2025.
So the people affected are those who buy a bronze or catastrophic plan through HealthCare.gov or a state exchange. Anyone in that group can now ask whether a health savings account fits, and the answer depends on the plan type and on other coverage in the household. People on silver, gold or employer plans are not covered by this particular change, and the fact sheet does not say whether any other limits apply.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do. Bonus when you subscribe: our 2026 Government Check Reality Tracker.
Get the Brief and the check tracker →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
What the IRS says about bronze and catastrophic plans
An HSA normally requires a high-deductible health plan, and many marketplace bronze plans failed the IRS deductible and out-of-pocket tests. The IRS notice removes that barrier. A bronze or catastrophic plan available as individual coverage through an Exchange counts as an HDHP even if it misses those tests, beginning with months after December 31, 2025.
That timing is why the White House can say the access exists now. The change did not start on October 19; the fact sheet is describing a provision already in force for 2026. Anyone who enrolled in a bronze plan for this year may have been eligible since January, subject to the usual HSA rules.
The notice also covers direct primary care arrangements, where a patient pays a doctor a flat monthly fee. Under the notice, the fixed periodic fee must be the sole compensation for the care, and the arrangement does not qualify if fees exceed $150 a month, or $300 for an arrangement covering more than one person. The same provision applies to months beginning after December 31, 2025.
Other health-cost claims in the same fact sheet
The fact sheet, issued jointly in the names of the President and First Lady Melania Trump, lists several other money claims, all of them the White House’s own numbers. It says patients have saved “over $700 million” on medicines through TrumpRx.gov, a site launched in February 2026, and that patients who pay out of pocket for fertility drugs “can save more than $2,000 per cycle,” on average.
It also says the administration has reached 26 deals with pharmaceutical manufacturers, covering nearly 90 percent of the branded drug market, to get Americans the same low prices that people in other countries pay. The Council of Economic Advisers estimate it cites is $600 billion in prescription drug savings over the next decade. The fact sheet further says the tax law deployed a record $50 billion to improve rural healthcare.
None of those figures describes what a single household would pay or save, and the fact sheet gives no breakdown by plan, drug or state.
What is still unanswered for enrollees
The White House has not said how many of the ten million are actually in bronze or catastrophic plans, or how many have opened an account. The IRS notice settles which plans qualify, but it does not say how much anyone can save by switching from their current coverage.
The decision belongs to the individual enrollee: a bronze plan typically carries a lower premium and a higher deductible, and an HSA only helps if there is money to put in it. Enrollees can see which tier their plan sits in on the marketplace plan summary, and the IRS notice is the document that sets which tiers qualify.
Is an HSA the only way to cover health costs this winter?
The HSA change applies only to people on bronze or catastrophic marketplace plans, and the White House gives no per-household savings figure. Retirees on a fixed income who face rising health costs often miss programs that cover those costs and have to be applied for.
The Benefits Checklist does not open or fund an HSA. It covers 11 benefit programs retirees most often miss, including Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help for prescriptions, with the 2026 income limits and a 50-state phone directory. A printable tracker comes with the download.
See the Benefits Checklist for health-cost programs and 2026 income limits →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
