Shaheen open to addressing "fraud" in ACA subsidies
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Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) speaks at a press conference on Nov. 9. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is open to income caps on Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and looking into potential "fraud" in the program that's set to expire at the end of the year, she told reporters on Monday.
Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) promised Democrats a vote on health care by mid-December as part of a deal to start the process of reopening the government.
- That gives negotiators like Shaheen the next few weeks to find a compromise before insurance premiums rise for 22 million Americans in 2026.
Zoom in: Shaheen, fresh off her success in clearing a path to end the government shutdown, smells another deal.
- But first, her party needs to decide whether they want a political issue or a policy win, she said.
- "A cap on income and who can benefit from the premium tax credits? I mean, that's legitimate. 94% of people earn $200,000 or less. We ought to be able to cap it at that," she said.
- "They want to address fraud and abuse measures," she said. "I think we're all opposed to having people benefit if they shouldn't, and to getting fraud out of the system."
Between the lines: Shaheen is open to looking at one GOP idea to fight fraud, requiring a minimum premium payment and ending zero-premium policies, though she doesn't see many of those in New Hampshire.
Zoom in: President Trump has become more engaged on the issue but has thrown a curveball by proposing his own alternative to the subsidies, which go directly to insurance companies.
- "I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
- Several Senate Republicans have embraced Trump's idea of sending the subsidy money directly to consumers, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
- If negotiations fail, Democrats, including Shaheen, know they have another issue to hammer Republicans with.
The bottom line: Getting an ACA reform deal through the Senate will be a challenge, and having it pass in the House will be even more difficult.
- "The president has to engage, and if he does, there's an opportunity," Shaheen said. "I mean, he's the deal maker. Let's see if he'll make a deal."
