In one of the few bipartisan actions occurring in Washington, DC in quite some time, the President and Congress agreed to legislation this week that allows for small employers with less than 50 full-time employees or FTEs to offer a new type of general purpose stand-alone Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) for their employees.  The bill also contains a broad array of health related spending and program initiatives, including opioid abuse prevention, biomedical research funding, mental health program increases and the “Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot” funding, named after the Vice President’s son who died of a brain tumor last year. As relates HRAs, the legislation will allow small employers to use them to pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses and non-group health insurance premiums, including those under the Affordable Care Act.  With a $6.1 billion price tag, the Cures Act enjoyed overwhelming bi-partisan support, passing the US House by a vote of 392-26 and the Senate on a tally of 94-5. It takes effect for plan years that begin after December 31, 2016.