United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

S 653 — A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat membership in a health care sharing ministry as a medical expense, and for other purposes.

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

This bill provides that amounts paid for membership in a health care sharing ministry, including amounts paid for the sharing of medical expenses and administrative fees, are a tax-deductible medical expense. (Health care sharing ministries are faith-based organizations with members who share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and who contribute regular payments to cover the medical expenses of other members.)

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

5 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill treats membership in a health care sharing ministry as a medical expense under the Internal Revenue Code, thus allowing related expenses to qualify for tax deductions.

  • Section 213(d)(1)

    or → , or

    This change allows an additional category of medical expenses for tax deductions.

  • Section 213(d)(1)

    . → , or

    This change continues the list of qualifying medical expenses.

  • Section 213(d)(1)

    (E) for membership in a health care sharing ministry (as defined in section 5000A(d)(2)(B)(ii) without regard to subclause (IV) thereof), including-- (i) the sharing of medical expenses with respect to such ministry, and (ii) the payment of administrative fees of such ministry.

    This addition specifically categorizes membership in health care sharing ministries as a deductible medical expense.

  • Chapter 79

    SEC. 7702C. TREATMENT OF HEALTH CARE SHARING MINISTRIES. "For purposes of this title, a health care sharing ministry (as defined in section 5000A(d)(2)(B)(ii) without regard to subclause (IV) thereof) shall not be treated as a health plan or as insurance."

    This establishes a legal definition and treatment for health care sharing ministries as distinct from traditional health insurance plans.

  • Table of sections for chapter 79

    Sec. 7702C. Treatment of health care sharing ministries.

    This adds a new section to the table of sections, making it clear that health care sharing ministries are recognized within the Internal Revenue Code.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

taxation healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 653 do?
This bill provides that amounts paid for membership in a health care sharing ministry, including amounts paid for the sharing of medical expenses and administrative fees, are a tax-deductible medical expense. (Health care sharing ministries are faith-based organizations with members who share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and who contribute regular payments to cover the medical expenses of other members.)
Who sponsors S 653?
S 653 is sponsored by Budd, Ted (Republican).
What is the current status of S 653?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 653?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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