1.   But Republicans said the accounts would be attractive to people at all income levels, including some sick people who wanted protection against catastrophic medical expenses.

2.   Employers and insurers often share the risk of paying for catastrophic medical expenses, he added.

3.   He noted that poor management of hypertension, diabetes, or congestive heart failure can lead to catastrophic expenses.

4.   Individuals with IRAs could also make penalty-free withdrawals for first-time home purchases, catastrophic medical expenses and college educations.

5.   Republicans in Congress immediately criticized the plan for not providing enough protection against catastrophic medical expenses and offering lavish coverage for the wealthy.

6.   The beneficiaries would buy private insurance to pay catastrophic medical expenses.

7.   Under the House bill, people could use tax-free accounts to pay routine medical bills, and they would have high-deductible insurance policies to cover catastrophic expenses.

8.   They maintained it would hurt families hit by job losses, catastrophic medical expenses or other unforeseeable hardships that push them over the edge financially.