A bipartisan health care deal remains out of reach in the Senate, with no clear path forward as lawmakers prepare for a key vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged that there are some in the GOP conference who want to work with Democrats "in a constructive way" but emphasized that there is still significant disagreement between the parties.
The issue at hand revolves around expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits, which were central to last year's government shutdown fight. A group of Senate Democrats recently secured a vote on a bill addressing these expiring credits as part of their deal to reopen the government. However, Republicans are hesitant to accept this proposal or offer an alternative that would address concerns about cost-sharing and affordability.
In response to growing pressure from Democrats, some GOP lawmakers have acknowledged a need for short-term extensions of the tax credits. Nevertheless, these extensions are unlikely to garner enough support from Republicans without further compromise. According to Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), his party's willingness to work with Democrats "won't disappear."
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has proposed an alternative approach, which would allow individuals to sign up for association health plans that pool resources across state lines. This could lower healthcare costs by reducing the individual market premiums.
The White House is weighing in on this debate as President Trump expressed his preference for directly providing money to people rather than extending subsidies to insurance companies. Despite this stance, officials from the National Economic Council predict that lawmakers will "work this out" before Christmas, with a solution involving cost-sharing and alternative approaches proposed by Democrats.
In essence, both parties are facing significant challenges in achieving an agreement on health care costs as the expiration of tax credits draws near, putting millions at risk. The lack of progress on this issue has highlighted deep divisions within Congress, underscoring the difficulties that lawmakers face in addressing pressing issues like healthcare affordability without resorting to partisanship and gridlock.
The issue at hand revolves around expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits, which were central to last year's government shutdown fight. A group of Senate Democrats recently secured a vote on a bill addressing these expiring credits as part of their deal to reopen the government. However, Republicans are hesitant to accept this proposal or offer an alternative that would address concerns about cost-sharing and affordability.
In response to growing pressure from Democrats, some GOP lawmakers have acknowledged a need for short-term extensions of the tax credits. Nevertheless, these extensions are unlikely to garner enough support from Republicans without further compromise. According to Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), his party's willingness to work with Democrats "won't disappear."
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has proposed an alternative approach, which would allow individuals to sign up for association health plans that pool resources across state lines. This could lower healthcare costs by reducing the individual market premiums.
The White House is weighing in on this debate as President Trump expressed his preference for directly providing money to people rather than extending subsidies to insurance companies. Despite this stance, officials from the National Economic Council predict that lawmakers will "work this out" before Christmas, with a solution involving cost-sharing and alternative approaches proposed by Democrats.
In essence, both parties are facing significant challenges in achieving an agreement on health care costs as the expiration of tax credits draws near, putting millions at risk. The lack of progress on this issue has highlighted deep divisions within Congress, underscoring the difficulties that lawmakers face in addressing pressing issues like healthcare affordability without resorting to partisanship and gridlock.
like i know congress is super polarized but can't they just find a way to work together on this? 
the whole thing with those tax credits expiring is stressing me out 
so many ppl are gonna get affected & it's all bc of politics 
idk what Sen Cassidy's plan is but pooling resources across state lines sounds kinda interesting 
& i guess extending short-term subsidies might be better than nothing 
lets just hope they can figure this out before christmas 
. The thing is, we need real solutions, not just temporary fixes. Congress needs to step up and figure out how to address this issue before Christmas or millions of Americans will be left in the dark.
still can't believe how hard it is for these politicians to work together 
. Like, seriously, Sen. Cassidy, can't you come up with something better than that? 
. Maybe this Christmas thing will actually happen, and we'll have a working solution for once 
. Wouldn't that be great? 
. It's like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, with both sides dug in and not willing to budge. I get that Democrats want to protect people's access to affordable healthcare, but Republicans seem to be prioritizing cost-sharing over actual care 
.
. The White House is trying to keep the pressure on both sides, but I think we're running out of time before Christmas 
.
and honestly, its kinda sad cuz millions of ppl r gettin hurt cuz of this 
this is just so frustrating! They can't even agree on something as basic as helping ppl with healthcare costs 
. I'm all for bipartisan efforts, but come on guys! 
Can't we just find a way to make this work? 
The thought of millions losing their insurance is unbearable 
. We need leaders who actually care about people's lives, not just party politics 
. I've seen some of my friends' stories about how they had to choose between paying rent or buying meds, and it's just heartbreaking. so yeah... fingers crossed that lawmakers come together soon and can find a solution that doesn't leave anyone behind 
! It's crazy how partisan politics is holding us back from fixing this critical issue 
#GetItTogetherUSA #HealthcareForAll
, but we need a long-term fix ASAP 
. It's time for lawmakers to put aside their differences and focus on what really matters: the people 
. The White House is all about direct payments, but that's not exactly a viable solution either 
and dont even get me started on the cost-sharing thing... i mean im no expert but isnt that just gonna make things even more expensive for normal ppl?! 
also, I get it, there are republicans who want to work together but honestly, it feels like the GOP is being dragged behind by all these hardliners 
, right? Like, can't we all just find some common ground on this ACA thing? I know there's been some heat about the tax credits expiring, but come on, millions of people are gonna lose coverage if we don't figure something out 
), so let's focus on finding a compromise that works for everyone. Maybe Sen. Cassidy's association health plans idea is a good starting point? Or, you know, maybe we can just extend those tax credits and worry about the costs later 
? Either way, I'm rooting for lawmakers to get it done before Christmas 
I don't get why they're being so stubborn about it. The tax credits thing was already a big deal last year, and now everyone's being like "oh, let's work together" but still can't come to an agreement? 
My grandma was always saying how important it is to have healthcare, and now it seems like people are really struggling with that. Is there no way they can find common ground or something?