Senate Deadlock Persists on Obamacare Subsidies as New Republican Plan Emerges
Senate Republicans blocked Obamacare subsidy extensions, creating a deadlock. A new Crapo-Cassidy plan offers 11% premium cuts, but 24 million Americans face rising costs.
Senate rejects dueling healthcare bills as Obamacare subsidies set to expire
Washington Examiner
Thune to challenge Obamacare vote with GOP counterproposal
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Overview
- The U.S. Senate rejected both Democratic and Republican healthcare proposals, failing to secure the necessary 60 votes, leading to a legislative deadlock on critical health care issues.
- Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, initiated by the Biden administration, which are set to expire at year-end.
- This legislative deadlock significantly increases the probability that enhanced Obamacare subsidies will expire, causing premiums to rise for over 24 million Americans by year-end.
- A new Republican proposal, the Crapo-Cassidy plan, is expected to reduce insurance premiums by 11% through cost-sharing reduction payments, offering an alternative approach.
- With Congress in its final working week, lawmakers face a looming deadline to address these expiring tax credits, yet little progress or breakthrough is currently anticipated.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources report neutrally on the Senate's failure to pass health care bills, focusing on the legislative process and bipartisan efforts. They provide balanced coverage of both Democratic and Republican proposals, detailing their content and the criticisms from opposing parties. The reporting emphasizes the ongoing search for compromise and the potential impact of expiring subsidies.
"Some senators are expressing tepid optimism about a path forward on a compromise."
CBS News"The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year."
Chicago Tribune"Now, lawmakers will have only a matter of days remaining to address the expiration of the enhanced tax credits, and there's little indication that any sort of breakthrough is on the horizon."
ABC News"The failed votes raise the likelihood that enhanced Obamacare subsidies passed in 2021 will expire at the end of this year and cause premiums to double on average for some 22 million Americans who benefit from that funding."
NBC News"The failed vote leaves lawmakers virtually no time before their holiday break to soften the approaching financial blow for many Americans."
USA TODAY"Without an extension of the subsidies, health care costs will rise for millions."
Associated Press"While both parties agree on the need to address healthcare costs, the Democratic proposal doesn't have enough GOP support to pass."
NPR"the Senate is expected to vote on two partisan bills and defeat them both — essentially guaranteeing that many who buy their health insurance on the ACA marketplaces see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year."
ABC News"The Senate is poised on Thursday to reject legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans, a potentially unceremonious end to a monthslong Democratic effort to prevent the COVID-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1."
Associated Press"The Senate alternative comes as many Republicans — especially those facing re-election next year — are scrambling to get behind some kind of plan to address sharp premium hikes that are scheduled to kick in next month for millions of Americans."
NBC News"Thune's announcement comes as Democrats plan to bring up a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for a vote on Thursday."
CBS News"The Crapo-Cassidy plan to fund health savings accounts "could cushion the financial impact of the lost enhanced premium tax credits, but only for a certain segment of the population, probably not for most," said Cynthia Cox, KFF's vice president and director of the Program on the ACA."
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FAQ
The Democratic proposal, supported by the Biden administration, aims to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to prevent premiums from rising, while the Republican Crapo-Cassidy plan offers an alternative approach that would cut premiums by about 11% through cost-sharing reduction payments but encourages switching to lower-quality plans with high deductibles. Critics argue the Republican plan could increase out-of-pocket costs and does not prevent premium hikes, potentially worsening affordability for many Americans.
Over 24 million Americans could face increased premiums if the enhanced subsidies expire at the end of the year.
The plan is expected to reduce insurance premiums by about 11% through cost-sharing reduction payments; however, it would require many working families to switch to lower-tier plans with significantly higher deductibles, potentially increasing their out-of-pocket healthcare costs and financial risk.
With Congress in its final working week and no clear breakthroughs anticipated, the deadlock persists and the enhanced subsidies are at high risk of expiring, which would result in higher premiums for millions of Americans.
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