House GOP to advance health care bills without ACA fix
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Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters during a news conference with other House GOP leaders on Dec. 2. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Republicans are moving forward with health care votes next week, but an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies is not part of their plan.
Why it matters: The strategy further heightens the likelihood that the subsidies will expire at the end of the year — but it will give House Republicans some alternatives they can point to to try to blunt Democrats' criticism.
- GOP leaders will bring "consensus" bills to the floor that aim to lower health care costs, a source who attended House Republicans' Wednesday morning conference meeting told Axios.
- "When you've got a very narrow majority, if less than a handful of members are on the other side of an issue, it's not going to make it through our conference," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters of extending the ACA subsidies, adding that GOP leaders would continue working into next year to forge agreement.
- Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) previously vowed to bring something on health care to the floor before the end of the year.
The details: Options discussed in Wednesday's meeting include expanding health savings accounts and association health plans, which allow employers to band together to purchase coverage.
- Overhauling pharmacy benefit managers with the goal of lowering drug costs was also discussed, along with funding ACA payments known as cost-sharing reductions (CSRs).
- Funding CSR payments would lower overall premiums but would also result in a cut to the subsidies some ACA enrollees receive.
- Not all the ideas discussed will get votes next week, leaders said, adding that they are figuring out which ones will.
Yes, but: Some House GOP moderates are still pushing for an extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies, worried about spiking premium costs in an election year.
- "I'm continuing to work towards addressing the immediate issue, which is the expiration of these Obamacare Covid-era subsidies, as well as, obviously, the longer term issue of addressing health care affordability," Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters leaving Wednesday's meeting.
- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) introduced a discharge petition Wednesday on his legislation that would extend the subsidies for two years. The petition already has eight bipartisan signers, and is expected to pick up more.
- "I love the speaker, but at this juncture, we need a robust plan. If we don't have that, which I understand we don't, those concepts were wonderful, I like a lot of them, but we need a bridge to extend it for 18 months or two years," Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) told Axios Wednesday, adding he plans to sign "multiple" health care related discharge petitions.
- Rep. Jenn Kiggans (R-Va.) also formalized her bipartisan ACA extension bill Wednesday.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
