Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire in just a few weeks, which would mean health premiums would more than double for tens of millions of Americans.
Negotiations between a group of 10-12 Republicans and Democrats led by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) gained momentum last week, but many GOP senators are staunchly opposed to extending premium subsidies and view the ObamaCare marketplaces as unsalvageable.
About 20 Democratic offices have put out feelers on a potential deal to extend the subsidies, according to a Senate aide familiar with the negotiations, reports The Hill's Alex Bolton.
While Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has promised Democrats a vote on the subsidies and has expressed openness to a bipartisan deal, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been among the most skeptical voices on extending the enhanced subsidies that were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged Republicans to negotiate with Democrats on the looming expiration of the subsidies during the shutdown, even though Thune and Johnson drew a hard line against bargaining on health care while federal departments and agencies were shuttered.
Both Republican senators from Alabama — Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt — and Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody have also expressed concern to colleagues about the impact of the expiring subsidies on health insurance premiums in 2026, according to aides familiar with informal talks on the issue.
But it’s not clear if enough Republicans are concerned about the subsidy expiration to balance the rest of their party who wants nothing to do with the law. They believe the enhanced subsidies are riddled with fraud and funnel money to insurance companies, and they are reluctant—at best— to prop up a law they say is failing.
“I don’t think there is any appetite among Republicans to just extend the status quo. I think most of them believe — I certainly believe this — that extending the status quo is just putting fresh paint on rotten wood,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said.
