Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) said Sunday he is confident the House will pass a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax credits “with a bipartisan majority,” even as Senate Republicans show resistance and the clock ticks toward steep premium increases for millions of Americans.
Jeffries predicts bipartisan support for subsidy extension
On ABC’s “This Week”, Jeffries said House Democrats will continue to push for the extension of the increased subsidies, which have expanded during the pandemic and are set to expire on December 31.
“House Democrats will continue to fight to get this extension through Congress on our side. It will pass, with a bipartisan majority,” he said, adding that he would “keep the pressure on John Thune (RS.D.) and Senate Republicans to actually do the right thing…so we can keep health care affordable for tens of millions of Americans.”
House maneuvers force vote despite GOP leaders
The comments come after four Republicans in the House of Representatives joined a Democratic discharge petition last week to force a January vote on a clean three-year extension, defying the Speaker. Mike Johnson and GOP leaders who have advanced their own health care bill that omits the appropriations bill, according to an Associated Press report report.
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Senate Republicans last week blocked legislation to extend the subsidies, effectively guaranteeing higher costs in 2026 unless Congress acts. A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed a narrow majority of Americans favored maintaining the aid.
GOP critics warn subsidies distort health care markets
Enhanced ACA premium tax credits, first introduced in 2021 and extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act, have helped more than 19 to 22 million people afford coverage on the marketplace, according to KFF and federal data.
Without an extension, KFF estimates that average annual premium payments for subsidized enrollees will more than double by 2026, from about $888 to about $1,900.
Republicans who oppose an extension say the subsidies are expensive and distort the private market.
Sen. Rand Paulus (R-Ky.) has promoted alternatives such as Association Health Plans and mentioned them in a separate statement interview with ABC News on Sunday: “Obamacare has been a failure… Every time we give more subsidies, premiums go higher,” while other conservatives want to send ACA funds directly to consumers or health savings accounts.
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