{"id":427810,"date":"2025-12-06T02:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T02:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/427810\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T02:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T02:28:13","slug":"congress-playing-health-care-roulette-with-competing-aca-plans-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/427810\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress playing health care roulette with competing ACA plans \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was first published in the On the Hill newsletter<\/a>. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Friday mornings here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve taken a peek at the headlines this week, you\u2019re well aware by now that Congress is on the clock to avoid the expiration of certain COVID-19-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies before the end of this year. The stakes: Millions of patients could see their health care premiums surge by the beginning of next year. <\/p>\n

If all this sounds like a broken record, it kind of is. Extending the subsidies is exactly what Democrats were focused on during the shutdown. <\/p>\n

But even after the 43-day shutdown and two weeks back in Washington, lawmakers are no closer to securing a deal. <\/p>\n

To be sure, they are talking about a deal. But there has not been any substantial progress for a bill to be brought to the floor before the expiration date. <\/p>\n

And to make things more complicated, there are several working groups talking through proposals \u2014 meaning there are multiple, and separate, frameworks being tossed around. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try to break down what we have so far. <\/p>\n

Democratic plan: Part of the deal to end the shutdown and reopen the government was an assurance from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to vote on some sort of ACA extension in the second week of December. That\u2019s next week. <\/p>\n

And we\u2019re finally getting a glimpse as to what that plan is: A three-year clean extension of the subsidies, meaning no policy changes or substantial reform. This is what House Democrats have been pushing for, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signed on to that idea on Thursday. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf Republicans block our bill, there\u2019s no do-over,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cPremiums go up Jan. 1, period.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may have already guessed it: Republicans aren\u2019t going to like that. The majority party has already shut the door on any clean extension of the enhanced tax credits, arguing lawmakers need to start making moves to reform the health care system as a whole. <\/p>\n

Schumer will put the three-year extension on the floor next week, and it would require 60 votes (so, 13 Republicans joining Democrats) to advance. Expect that to fail. <\/p>\n

Republican plan: When the Democratic framework goes to the floor next week, Republicans are expected to bring up their own counterproposal. But what that bill includes is not yet clear. <\/p>\n

Senate Republicans have been negotiating for weeks, but details of their health care proposal have not yet been made public. Many of those conversations began as bipartisan talks, but with Schumer\u2019s announcement to move forward with a three-year extension next week, top Republicans say it\u2019s prompted them to restart talks within the party on alternatives. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a serious offer. This is not an offer that they\u2019re trying to get a Republican-buy in at all,\u201d Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told reporters on Thursday. \u201cThis is complete messaging on their part.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., separately said on Thursday that Republicans are working out details on their own plan that could be ready for a vote before the end of the year. Details, as you may expect, are not yet known. <\/p>\n

Bipartisan talks: Meanwhile, rank-and-file members on both sides of the aisle have gotten antsy in recent weeks, and say leadership in both parties haven\u2019t moved fast enough to finalize a deal. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe got tired of waiting,\u201d Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., told reporters on the Capitol steps on Thursday. \u201cWe got tired of hearing from both Democrats, Republicans, House and Senate. \u2018There\u2019s this plan.\u2019 What is the plan? We never heard the plan. So we put a plan together, and we did it in a great bipartisan way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiggans, alongside Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, unveiled a bipartisan framework on Thursday coined \u201cCommonGround2025.\u201d <\/p>\n

The proposal would extend ACA subsidies for one year with a few modifications, including income caps, guardrails to prevent fraud, and reforms with pharmacy benefit management. Those have all been supported on a bipartisan basis. <\/p>\n

The second phase of the plan would continue some premium savings while implementing significant reforms that can be negotiated at a later date. Those must be voted on by July 1, 2026, under the framework. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt proposes a short-term and longer-term fix,\u201d Gottheimer said. \u201cBut the bottom line is, in just a few days, for millions and millions of Americans, their health insurance premiums are going to spike significantly. So we have a couple weeks to get something done. That\u2019s it, and we plan to get something done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus is also working on legislation to extend the enhanced tax credits for two years, although that plan differs slightly from what Kiggans\u2019 and Gottheimers\u2019 framework includes, according to caucus chairman Brian Fitzpatrick. <\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick said his bill could be released in the coming days, and he is only waiting for final approval from the congressional Legislative Council before publishing the text. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no guarantee either of the bipartisan proposals will reach the House floor. Johnson has been adamant in the past not to vote on any ACA extension, even if it includes modifications. <\/p>\n

But the bipartisan negotiators, including those in his party, say it would be a mistake to let the subsidies expire without another plan in tow. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to act on this issue,\u201d Kiggans said. \u201cTo do nothing is the wrong answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Cami Mondeaux<\/p>\n

Stories Driving the Week <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No tax on healthcare<\/a>: Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is circulating a new healthcare proposal<\/a> that would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $25,000 in personal medical expenses as well as additional deductions for out-of-pocket premiums. Specific details on the plan, such as how to pay for those deductions, have not yet been hashed out.<\/li>\n
  2. Trump Account boost:<\/a> The newly created \u201cTrump Accounts,\u201d designed to equip all U.S. children with savings accounts that accumulate interest until they are adults, received a major boost from the CEO of Dell Technologies this week<\/a> \u2014 providing an extra cushion to a novel program partially spearheaded by Utah Rep. Blake Moore.<\/li>\n
  3. Congress vs. Internet:<\/a> Congress is set to wage an all-out war<\/a> against internet companies and social media platforms to protect children online, and there\u2019s bipartisan support growing to enact legislation to do so.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Blake Moore launches bipartisan Philanthropy Caucus <\/p>\n

    This week, we celebrated Giving Tuesday, an annual movement when people are encouraged to donate to charities and nonprofit organizations just a few days after the Thanksgiving holiday. <\/p>\n

    On that day, Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, announced his own project: The launch of the House Philanthropy Caucus, with a goal to increase charitable giving in local communities. <\/p>\n

    \u201cUtahns are known for investing in our communities, serving our neighbors, leading the nation in volunteerism, and topping the charts for charitable donations,\u201d Moore said in a statement. \u201cGiving back is something inherent to Utah\u2019s culture, and I have worked to bring these values to policymaking to support those who are uplifting others.\u201d<\/p>\n

    In practice, the bipartisan caucus will serve to promote policies that expand tax incentives for individuals and businesses to \u201cto give back, and (advance) public\u2013private partnerships that empower and drive local impact.\u201d The group would also work to educate lawmakers on the contributions and role of foundations in communities across the country. <\/p>\n

    Moore formed the caucus alongside Democratic Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois, and the group is backed by national organizations such as the United Philanthropy Forum, the Grant Professionals Association, and the Nonprofit Alliance. <\/p>\n

    \u2014 Cami Mondeaux<\/p>\n

    Quick Hits<\/p>\n

    From the Hill: Sen. Mike Lee sponsors bill to overturn D.C.\u2019s sanctuary law<\/a> for cross-state abortion, gender treatments. \u2026 Sen. Mark Kelly\u2019s national profile grows<\/a> as he confronts President Trump. \u2026 Congress\u2019 daunting December to-do list.<\/a><\/p>\n

    From the White House: Melania Trump and Usha Vance team up to spread holiday cheer<\/a>. \u2026 How the Trump administration could make or break Gov. Cox\u2019s budget priorities<\/a>. \u2026 Trump pardons Texas Democrat,<\/a> who says he\u2019ll run again.<\/p>\n

    From the courts: FBI arrests man connected to Jan. 6 pipe bomb case<\/a>. \u2026 Judge issues preliminary injunction<\/a> in favor of Brazilian immigrant detained last June in Colorado. <\/p>\n

    What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

    The House and Senate are back next week. We\u2019re likely to see a lot more movement, including possible votes, on healthcare legislation.<\/p>\n

    As always, feel free to reach out to me by email<\/a> with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X<\/a> for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article was first published in the On the Hill newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":427811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[210,1141,1142,974,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-427810","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-news-feed-national","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115670267308333818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}