House Republicans reportedly are struggling to come to an agreement on healthcare.
A looming year-end deadline for Affordable Care Act premium tax credits is forcing GOP leaders into a familiar pre-holiday scramble, as House Republicans head toward a Wednesday vote on their "Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act" while moderates demand a separate vote to extend Obamacare subsidies in some form, the Washington Examiner reported.
The clash is exposing a real governing dilemma for Republicans: how to offer relief from rising costs without simply writing another blank check to prop up what conservatives view as a flawed ACA marketplace.
With the pandemic-era subsidies set to expire Dec. 31, centrist lawmakers — especially those in swing and blue-leaning districts — have argued that letting the credits vanish could trigger sharp premium hikes for millions and create political blowback heading into the next cycle.
But leadership declined to allow a vote on extensions, undercutting centrist efforts in the Rules Committee and rejecting amendments intended to provide a short-term bridge for consumers.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday there would be no vote on ACA subsidies because "it just was not to be," after what the Examiner described as a heated lunch with moderates.
An amendment from Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., would have offered ACA recipients a two-year tax deduction rather than a temporary extension that critics say funnels money to insurance companies.
Democrats, meanwhile, are pressing for a three-year extension of the subsidies and are threatening to use a discharge petition to force a vote, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., already holding 214 Democrat signatures, just four short of the threshold needed if Republicans were to join.
Yet many GOP moderates appear wary of signing onto a Democrat vehicle, arguing a broad extension without reforms fails to address underlying cost drivers.
The internal maneuvering all but guarantees higher insurance costs for many Americans by 2026, even as House GOP leaders push ahead with their larger package focused on longtime Republican priorities such as expanding association health plans and tightening oversight of pharmacy benefit managers.
Johnson argued the Republican bill is aimed at reducing premiums and improving access, while Democrats have "zero ideas" beyond more subsidies.
A Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation analysis estimated the package would reduce the federal deficit by $35.6 billion but decrease the number of insured Americans by an average of 100,000 per year from 2027 to 2035.
Moderates sounded alarms but stopped short of rebellion.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the decision not to allow an extension vote "political malpractice," yet said he is not looking to sink the broader GOP package "out of spite."
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., warned there will be "consequences" if the credits expire but indicated he will still support the bill's overall framework.
Even if the House passes the measure, the fight is far from over.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., called healthcare "complicated," and senators are said to be discussing a possible compromise in January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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