The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump "is very much involved" in discussions over a new plan to prevent sharp increases in health insurance costs, an issue that was at the center of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
"I know there has been a lot of reporting on this over the last few days," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "I will tell you that healthcare is a topic of discussion that is happening very frequently and robustly inside the West Wing right now.
"The president is very much involved in these talks. And he's very focused on unveiling a healthcare proposal that will fix the system and will bring down costs for consumers," she added.
Leavitt did not offer details, but The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the strategy, reported Monday that officials are considering a two-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies to attract Democrat support. The pandemic-era subsidies, enacted when Democrats controlled Congress, expire at the end of this year.
As part of the new plan, the White House discussed imposing income caps for ACA enrollees to qualify for the enhanced subsidies, as well as measures to crack down on healthcare fraud, the Journal reported.
Republicans have also floated redirecting some subsidy funding into newly created health savings accounts and barring taxpayer dollars from going toward plans covering abortion or transgender care.
"As for the details of those discussions, I'll let the president speak for himself," Leavitt said.
"As you all know, sometimes you report things, and then President Trump comes out with an announcement, and those things are not always true from what you hear from sources inside the building. So, I'll let the president speak for himself."
As part of the deal to reopen the government earlier this month, Senate Republicans agreed to give Democrats a December vote on whether to extend the ACA tax credits. Hard-line conservatives have pushed to let the subsidies lapse, while moderate Republicans favor an extension.
Some Republicans are seeking a broader healthcare overhaul to replace the credits, Politico reported Sunday.
The White House plan is expected to include new income caps for enrollees to qualify for ACA tax credits, along with minimum premium payments, according to Politico. The eligibility cap under discussion would limit subsidies to individuals earning up to 700% of the federal poverty line — a threshold that aligns with proposals from a separate bipartisan group of senators, the outlet reported.
Requiring enrollees to pay a minimum premium would address conservative concerns over the widespread availability of zero-premium ACA plans. The administration also intends to propose giving people the option to direct part of their tax credit into a tax-advantaged savings account if they switch to a lower-cost health plan — a feature favored by many Republican lawmakers and backed publicly by Trump.
"Rather than giving money to insurance companies, we want to start giving the money to patients," Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who has discussed the plan with the White House and fellow senators, told the Journal.
Although many Democrats appear broadly skeptical of Republican healthcare initiatives, at least some see a potential opening.
"While I have significant concerns about some of the ideas reportedly in the president's proposal, it nonetheless represents a starting point for serious negotiations," Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., told the Journal.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.