By: Dylan Weinert

Buried inside the sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill” is a quiet change to HSA rules that could reshape how Americans access primary care. For one SaaS healthcare marketplace, Apaly, the provision provides a green light to deliver first-class healthcare to its users with greater ease and a federal seal of approval.

The U.S. government’s latest legislative overhaul—nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill”—is an ambitious piece of legislation. Officially known as H.R. 1, the bill stretches 900 pages and touches nearly every corner of U.S. domestic policy: tax codes, border security, infrastructure, and healthcare reform.

While most headlines have zeroed in on immigration and Medicare drug pricing, one small provision in the healthcare section—Section 71308—quietly rewrote the rules for how Americans can pay for primary care:

Starting in 2026, individuals with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can use up to $150/month in pre-tax funds to pay for Advanced Primary Care (APC)—without violating IRS HSA rules.

It’s a subtle change—but one that will ripple across the employer-sponsored healthcare market. For years, HSA regulations have prevented people from signing up for APC or concierge-style memberships by not allowing them to pay for APC subscriptions with their HSA funds. These regulations have prevented patients from adding APC by rendering it an out-of-pocket cost, motivating them to stick with primary care provider covered by their employer benefit plan. Now, the door is open for a more direct, patient-centered model of care, made more available and affordable for people seeking APC/APC+ care.

As a result, Apaly, a company committed to providing access to empathetic, relationship-based and patient-first primary care, is uniquely positioned to drive exceptional primary care across a substantial patient population.

A Fix for a Broken Model

For Dr. Jerry Beinhauer, founder and CEO of Apaly, the law’s language is more than policy—it validates Apaly’s mission at a federal level.

“This isn’t just an economic change,” says Beinhauer. “It’s validation. It tells patients and employers: if you want real relationships with your providers, longer visits, and better outcomes—you’re not on your own anymore. The system is finally catching up.”

Beinhauer, a physician, built Apaly’s Advanced Primary Care Plus (APC+) model around a simple idea: healthcare should begin and end with the doctor-patient relationship—not billing departments, network restrictions or unnecessarily long treatment timelines. The platform integrates seamlessly within self-funded employer plans, under which approximately 92 million Americans are insured (representing close to 60% of all employer-sponsored health coverage plans).

Unlike traditional healthcare stakeholders that rely on opaque insurance networks or invoice-based billing, Apaly connects self-funded employers directly with vetted, Advanced Primary Care providers on a subscription model. It’s not a network, not a concierge boutique, and not a workaround. It’s a turnkey system for value-based, compliant, scalable care.

How This Provision Impacts Insured Employees

Until now, even patients with high-deductible plans who wanted to pay for better primary care often faced a Catch-22: join a DPC membership, and have to pay out of pocket with post-tax dollars.

That’s no longer the case.

Under the new law, individuals can pay up to $150 pre-tax per month (or $300 for families) using HSA dollars for APC arrangements. These amounts will be adjusted annually for inflation, making the change sustainable long-term. It’s a small policy shift that finally puts consumer-friendly, preventive care on equal footing with traditional billing-based models.

According to the AP and NPR, interest in membership-based care is growing fast—especially as patients face longer wait times and physicians flee traditional insurance models. But many of those newer offerings are limited to boutique concierge programs or lifestyle wellness clinics—often out of reach for everyday working Americans.

That’s where Apaly’s APC+ model stands apart.

APC+ in Practice

Apaly’s provider fleet spans over 5,600 locations nationwide, offering:

• Same or next-day visits and reliable omnichannel doctor/patient communication channels
• 30–60 minute appointment times
• Integrated mental health services
• Chronic disease management
• Transparent pricing and $0 out-of-pocket costs for members

It’s designed to work within the employer system—not around it—and has already been adopted by multiple Fortune 500 clients in logistics, retail, and tech.

Most importantly, APC+ is HSA-compliant out of the box. No risky network structures. No unnecessary legal exposure. Just clean, direct contracts between employers and providers, facilitated by Apaly’s platform—not controlled by it. Apaly’s platform was developed to help employers navigate IRS requirements around HSA eligibility, even prior to the recent legislative changes. Its system can automatically detect when a member is enrolled in a high-deductible health plan with an HSA and adjust how services are delivered to maintain compliance.

Before the recent policy change, HSA participants without this benefit were required to pay fair-market value for non-preventive care until meeting their deductible, since employer-covered memberships couldn’t include those services. Under the new federal rule, HSA holders can now apply up to $150 per month in pre-tax funds toward their APC+ membership. That change broadens access to care while keeping employers aligned with existing regulations—an adjustment Apaly’s infrastructure is already prepared to support.

“We didn’t need to pivot,” says Beinhauer. “We’ve been operating in line with these principles from the beginning. This law just caught up.”

The Bigger Picture for Employers and Plan Participants

The Big Beautiful Bill may go down as a landmark in domestic policy—but some of its most lasting impacts may come from its smallest provisions.

Section 71308 doesn’t just open the door to better primary care—it gives employers and plan members a clear, compliant path to embrace it. Models like Apaly’s APC+ are uniquely positioned to benefit not only employers, but also to provide better care to patients.

As Beinhauer puts it:

“You don’t need a middleman. You need a doctor who knows your name—and a system that doesn’t punish you for it.”

For more information on Apaly’s APC+ model, visit their website.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, medical, or financial advice. The information presented reflects the author’s views and interpretation of current legislation, and may not represent the complete details or legal interpretations of the policies discussed. Readers should consult relevant professionals for specific guidance regarding their healthcare plans or tax implications.