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Washington — House Republican leaders unveiled a plan Friday to address health care costs ahead of a year-end lapse to tax credits that will result in skyrocketing premiums for more than 20 million Americans.
But the plan does not include an extension to the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Instead, Republican leaders will allow a vote on an amendment to the plan that would include an extension to those expiring tax credits, according to a GOP leadership aide.
The move is aimed at appeasing moderate Republicans who are trying to force votes, through what is known as a discharge petition, on separate pieces of legislation to extend the tax credits for one to two years with reforms.
An extension has split the party, with those opposed saying the subsidies are ripe with fraud and high-income households shouldn’t qualify.
Democrats have pushed a three-year extension without reforms — a nonstarter with Republicans.
The Republican plan released Friday includes a provision to expand association health plans, in which multiple employers band together to purchase coverage and lower the costs of benefits. Another provision would provide funding for cost-sharing reduction payments meant to lower premiums for some Affordable Care Act enrollees. The proposal would also require more transparency from pharmacy benefit managers in an effort to lower drug costs.
“While Democrats demand that taxpayers write bigger checks to insurance companies to hide the cost of their failed law, House Republicans are tackling the real drivers of health care costs to provide affordable care, increase access and choice, and restore integrity to our nation’s health care system for all Americans,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said in a statement.
Johnson has been meeting with leaders of several factions of the conference this week to try to build a consensus on a plan.
The House Rules Committee is set to take up the package on Tuesday afternoon, teeing it up for a potential floor vote as soon as Tuesday evening or Wednesday.
It’s unclear whether it has enough support to survive a floor vote.
In a statement Friday night, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, called the GOP proposal an “11th hour measure” and said he would oppose it if the bill reaches the House floor.
“House Democrats will continue our fight to protect the healthcare of the American people. We are ready to work with anyone in good faith on the other side of the aisle who wants to prevent the Affordable Care Act tax credits from expiring at the end of the month,” Jeffries said. “Unfortunately, House Republicans have introduced toxic legislation that is completely unserious, hurts hardworking America taxpayers and is not designed to secure bipartisan support.”
