Washington, DC - Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC], reports that Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) has chosen to co-sponsor the Good Samaritan bill [H.R. 5856] to provide free healthcare services to low-income families. The legislation would dramatically reduce government spending for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP] at no cost to taxpayers.

Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL) introduced the bill in the House yesterday.  It allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to provide pro-bono healthcare services to low-income individuals, including children in the CHIP program, in exchange for a simple tax deduction.  Participating physicians and medical personnel would receive a tax deduction for the value of the service performed without the need for overly burdensome paperwork and administrative overhead.

Representative Meadows is Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of roughly 40 conservative Members of Congress.

“it is estimated that the government would save as much as $54.4 billion a year, and maybe more, in Medicaid payments annually.  And it would reduce costly emergency room visits, the ‘go-to’ alternative for people who can’t afford to pay medical fees. That’s more than the amount requested in the FY2018 budget by NASA and the Departments of Energy, State, Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development.  And pro bono care could easily be expanded to include medical specialists and retired physicians,” according to Weber.