With Congress back in session this week, the debate over what’s next for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its now-expired enhanced subsidies is back on.
A bipartisan group of senators is working on a deal for a package that would revive the subsidies, which ran out Jan. 1, according to a report from Politico. Open enrollment for plans on the ACA’s marketplaces ends in about a week Jan. 15.
The senators’ plan would extend the subsidies for two years but would add reforms such as income caps and minimum premium payments, Politico reported. These changes would be paired with revived cost-sharing reduction payments and an expansion of health savings accounts in a bid to ease costs.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, one of the lead negotiators on the deal, told Politico a draft could be released as early as next week.
The House of Representatives is also set for a procedural vote Wednesday on a Democrat-led discharge motion that would force a vote on their plan to extend the subsidies for three years. Several moderate Republicans have broken with the party to support the discharge effort.
Punchbowl News reports that the discharge vote is expected to be successful, and the House would likely pass a deal that would reach a steep climb in the Senate.
President Donald Trump is also actively wading into the discussion. Tuesday, he told Republicans in the House to ease off of demands around restrictions for funding to plans that cover abortion, per the Hill.
Trump said legislators “have to be a little flexible on Hyde.” The Hyde Amendment bars federal funding from going toward abortion services.
Trump also said this week that he is planning to host major health insurance leaders at the White House in short order. He said Tuesday that he would meet with leaders from 14 companies “in a few days,” Reuters reported.
Last month, the president said he wanted to meet with insurance companies to discuss ways to lower prices in a similar vein to negotiations with leading pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring down the cost of certain medications.
He said that “with one talk,” he expects plans would be willing to lower prices by “50(%), 60(%) or 70%,” Reuters reported at the time.
“But there’s another way of doing it, and that’s getting the insurance companies to ease up and to cut their pricing way, way down and stay part of the system. So I’m going to call a meeting,” Trump said.
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