The Senate has not yet held negotiations or a vote on the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credit subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Millions of Americans already face higher premiums, as insurance companies have moved forward on pricing without the expectation of an extension.
President Donald Trump told reporters last Tuesday that he would refuse to extend the subsidies for two years. Inside Health Policy says that the White House could only confirm that the president is committed to lowering costs, but it had been reported that the White House was planning to announce the two-year extension with reforms and a health savings account option but was delayed by House Speaker Mike Johnson warning that there might not be enough support in the House for such a deal.
Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the potential for extensions. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a new solution to allow people to deduct $25,000 in medical expenses from their taxes. According to Politico, ranking member Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked why the subsidies couldn’t just be extended, but Cassidy rebuffed the question by asserting that the ACA exchange would need structural changes to address the high out-of-pocket costs associated with ACA plans.
On Sunday, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was optimistic that the Senate would hold a vote on the subsidies this year, the Hill notes.
The vote will happen. And whether it will pass is in the hands of Donald Trump and the Republicans. If they don’t want to do anything about people’s costs and their grocery bills and their health care and pummel them with these punishing Trump tariffs, then we will simply have to beat them in the midterms. We have no other choice.
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