The White House is expected to reveal a plan to address rising medical costs under the expiry of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) enhanced premium tax credits, but the rollout has been delayed due to pushback from the GOP, according to media reports.
MS Now reported that the plan was initially set to be unveiled Monday, but the administration has pushed back the announcement while it reworks the plan to address concerns from the party.
The plan would have featured an extension of the premium subsidies for ACA plans, which were implemented initially under the response to COVID-19. However, President Donald Trump’s proposal would also institute guardrails on the subsidies that could include income limits, per CNN.
Congress is rapidly running out of time to address the looming impacts of the subsidies ending, as people securing coverage on the exchange must sign up by Dec. 15. For people who received these subsidies, their premiums are set to rise significantly next year, data show.
An extension appears unlikely, as, at a hearing last week to discuss ways to address rising medical costs, Republican senators pressed instead for the feds to support enrollment in health savings accounts and sending the value of the tax credits to those HSAs.
Democrats have pushed instead for a “clean” subsidy extension for at least a year to avert massive premium hikes for enrollees while giving Congress time to work on a more comprehensive, bipartisan plan. Senate Dems drove the lengthy government shutdown in a bid to secure this plan, with several agreeing to re-open the government with the promise of a vote.
President Donald Trump said last week that sending money directly to enrollees to buy coverage is the only plan he would agree to, so Republicans interviewed by MS Now were surprised by the White House’s pivot on the subsidies.
“I wasn’t expecting the proposal to be Obamacare-lite,” an anonymous, conservative House Republican told the outlet. “Absolutely not supportive of extending ACA subsidies.”
CNN reported that it’s unclear when the delayed announcement will be. A White House official did not tell the outlet why the announcement had been postponed.
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