House Speaker Mike Johnson said he won’t call a vote to extend the ACA’s enhanced subsidies, further increasing the likelihood that they will expire at the end of 2025, NBC News reported Dec. 16.
Mr. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said the party’s leadership was unable to reach an agreement with Republican House members who were seeking an amendment on a healthcare bill that is set for a vote Dec. 17, according to the report.
One of the reasons the talks failed is because GOP leaders said that they would need to find spending cuts to pay for an extension, which is projected to cost about $35 billion per year.
Some Republican House members who support extending the subsidies have not ruled out signing onto a Democratic-led discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said 214 Democrats have signed the petition and that four Republicans would be needed to bring the measure to the House floor.
Even if the discharge petition gets the needed signatures, it would take time to get to the House floor, likely pushing a vote into next year as Republicans are hoping to adjourn after this week, according to the report.
The healthcare bill that is expected to be voted on Dec. 17 would expand access to association health plans by allowing employers — including self-employed workers – to join together to purchase insurance. It would also provide funding for cost-sharing reduction payments beginning in 2027 and would require pharmacy benefit managers to provide employers with detailed data on prescription drug spending, rebates, spread pricing and formulary decisions.
