Senate failed reach anywhere health care issues This week. Now it’s the House’s turn to show what it can do.
Speaker Mike Johnson The Republican alternative was unveiled late Friday in a last-minute rush as his party refused to extend enhanced tax subsidies those who purchase insurance policies Passing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Expires at the end of the year. These subsidies help lower the cost of insurance.
Johnson, R-Louisiana, huddled behind closed doors in the morning — as he did earlier in the week — working to craft a package for consideration as the House focused the final days of its 2025 health care effort.
“House Republicans are addressing the real drivers of health care costs to provide affordable care,” Johnson said in a statement announcing the plan. He said a vote would be held next week.
However, late Friday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “House Republicans have introduced toxic legislation that is completely unserious, hurts hard-working American taxpayers, and is not designed to gain bipartisan support. I will vigorously oppose this bill if it reaches the House.”
Time is running out for Congress to act. Democrats designed The longest federal government shutdown Efforts to force Republicans to the health care negotiating table failed this fall. But the Senate failed to advance either plan this week after promising votes Republican health care plan A bill introduced by Democrats to extend the tax credit for three years.
Now, with just days left, Congress is wrapping up its work with no consensus solution in sight.
Republican proposal
House Republicans have introduced a more than 100-page package that focuses on long-sought Republican proposals to increase access to employer-sponsored health insurance plans and crack down on so-called pharmacy benefit managers.
Republicans have proposed expanding access to so-called association health plans, which would allow more small businesses and self-employed individuals to band together to buy health insurance.
Supporters say such plans give businesses more leverage in negotiating lower interest rates. But critics say the plans offer less coverage than required by the Affordable Care Act.
The Republican proposal would also require more data from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to help control drug costs. Critics say PBMs drive up their bottom lines and make it harder for independent pharmacists to survive.
In addition, the Republican plan also mentions cost-sharing reductions for some low-income people who rely on Obamacare, but these will not take effect until January 2027.
The new package proposed by House Republicans does not include enhanced tax credits for the millions of Americans who gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Implemented during COVID-19 crisis, enhanced subsidies Expired On Dec. 31, most families in the plan will face more than double their current out-of-pocket premiums, and in some cases even more.
what trump wants
president donald trump has said he believes Republicans will come up with a better plan than Obamacare — something he has promised for years — but provided some details This goes beyond his idea of providing Americans with subsidies to help them buy insurance.
“I want to see billions of dollars going to people, not insurance companies,” Trump said at an event at the White House on Friday night. “I want to see people go out and buy quality health care for themselves.”
The president did not comment directly on the House’s new plan. He has repeatedly promoted his idea of sending money directly to Americans to help offset the cost of health care policies, rather than providing tax credits for people who buy policies through Obamacare. It’s unclear how much Trump expects to spend. The Senate Republican proposal that failed to advance would have provided adult enrollees $1,000 per year in new health savings accounts, or $1,500 for those ages 50 to 64.
No such health savings account appears to be included in House Republicans’ new plan.
Many people face political pressure
Johnson’s line puts vulnerable House Republicans representing key battleground districts in a difficult position.
Frustrated by the delays, a group of more centrist Republican lawmakers are aligning with Democrats to push their own proposal to temporarily keep the tax credit in place so Americans don’t face rising medical costs.
They are pursuing multiple avenues to pass temporary ACA subsidy extensions and have co-sponsored several bills. They also signed so-called removal petitions, which if signed by a majority of House members could force a vote in the House.
Such petitions, designed to bypass majority control, rarely succeed, but this year was an exception. For example, lawmakers are able to use release petitions to force votes on bills. release Jeffrey Epstein files held by the Department of Justice.
As of Friday afternoon, a petition filed by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., had 12 signatures from Republicans and 12 Democrats. It would force a vote on a bill that would extend subsidies for two years and include provisions aimed at combating fraud in the ACA marketplace. Among other things, there are limitations to PBMs.
Another petition from New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer has 39 signatures and has broad bipartisan support. It’s a simpler proposal that would force a vote on a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies and would include new income caps on who qualifies for the enhanced credit.
Both recall petitions have enough Republican support that they are likely to succeed if Jeffries encourages his caucus to join them. So far, he hasn’t reached out.
“We are actively reviewing both discharge requests and we will have more discussion on that early next week,” Jeffries said.
Meanwhile, Jeffries is pushing the Democrats’ own sacking petition, which has 214 signatures and would provide a clean three-year subsidy extension. No Republicans signed the agreement.
As Republicans made clear on the Senate floor this week, a three-year extension without changes to the program has no chance of passing the Senate.