A solution to rising health care costs probably won’t be finalized by Christmas, but lawmakers are feeling pressure to act.
President Trump announces donation to cover medical costs
President Trump said he supports Senate Republicans’ plan to give Americans up to $1,500 to cover health care costs, rather than extending ACA subsidies.
WASHINGTON — Health care affordability appears to be top of mind for lawmakers as the holiday season approaches. But whether Congress can actually do anything about rising costs by then is another story.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a head-to-head vote on Dec. 11 on two bills aimed at addressing what Democrats call an “urgent health care crisis” caused by federal health insurance subsidies that millions of Americans rely on expire at the end of the year. The vote scheduling was one of the central concessions Republican leaders offered Senate Democrats in November in exchange for a vote to end the longest government shutdown in history.
One bill drafted by Democrats would extend subsidies provided in the form of premium tax credits in the Obamacare marketplace for three years. The other, created by Republicans, would instead allow eligible consumers to deposit $1,000 to $1,500 into a health savings account (HSA).
Congressional leaders remain at odds over what to do, and neither bill is likely to pass. Some estimates predict that health insurance premiums for many Americans will double or even triple next year, but lawmakers have just a few days left in session before they head out of town before Christmas.
Without real consensus, the whole thing could be a waste of time, said Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).
“I don’t want to run a vote that is set up to fail,” he told reporters. “I want to vote for something that will actually deliver results.”
Congress feels pressure to cut health care costs
Although the government shutdown prevented Democrats from forcing Republicans to extend expired Obamacare subsidies as they hoped, the crisis did succeed in raising widespread awareness about the issue.
Given that efforts to reduce health care costs have since become a lightning rod for Congress, he could defect from either political camp during the Dec. 11 vote. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told USA TODAY he won’t vote for the Republican alternative, but he can’t speak for his other Democratic colleagues.
Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers said on Dec. 10 that they were still making decisions. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she was “still negotiating” with other senators about where to throw their support.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said he plans to vote in favor of the Republican proposal, but that it does not adequately address the problem of rising premiums.
“Neither of these plans are perfect,” he said. “They both have problems.”
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
