A MAHA plan supported by Sen. Curtis could provide a boost to Utah’s dietary supplement industry

U.S. Sen John Curtis wants to let Americans use healthcare spending accounts to buy dietary supplements, a potential boon for one of Utah’s biggest industries.

The Utah Republican has introduced a bill that would allow individuals to use up to $250 and couples who file taxes jointly to spend up to $500 on supplements. The money would be drawn from a health savings account, flexible spending account or health reimbursement arrangement. If passed, the new rules would take effect in 2027.

“Dietary supplements are an important part of many Utahns’ health and wellness routines, and are key to making America healthy again,” Curtis said in a statement.

Curtis has supported the MAHA movement, the effort spearheaded by President Donald Trump and his secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Utah has gone ahead of other states in backing some of Kennedy’s policies; for example, the Beehive State was the first in the country to ban adding fluoride to public water systems.

Allowing people to use HSAs, FSAs and HRAs on nutritional supplements lets them “take greater ownership of their health,” Curtis said, while also reducing how much they pay out of pocket.

All three account types are linked to health insurance, allow employer contributions and offer tax advantages.

Utah is home to hundreds of so-called “nutraceutical” companies like USANA Health Sciences and Nu Skin Enterprises, many of which use multilevel marketing or direct selling to deliver their products. Dietary supplements are the state’s third-largest industry, behind technology and tourism, according to a new release from Curtis.

And though many Americans use supplements to fill nutritional gaps and otherwise stay healthy, tax rules don’t “fully reflect this reality,” said U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican who’s cosponsoring the bill.

The bill has support from trade associations for over-the-counter dietary supplements. Those groups say the bill aligns federal policy with how millions of Americans already approach their health.

Mainstream medicine and research says that most supplements don’t offer scientifically proven benefits for general use.

But Scott Melville, who heads the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group for manufacturers and marketers of supplements and over-the-counter medicines, said in Curtis’s news release that science is becoming more supportive of dietary supplements.

“Giving consumers the ability to use their own pre-tax dollars to purchase supplements makes healthcare more affordable and accessible and empowers Americans to take a more proactive approach to their health and wellness,” Melville said in the statement.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. A bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced companion legislation.