Social security checks: Social security payment checks: Will Americans receive $50 billion Donald Trump healthcare subsidies before Christmas 2025?
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget also expressed concerns about the costs of extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, even with modifications. The organization says extending the subsidies would cost about $50 billion in the first two calendar years, even with an eligibility limit of about $225,000 for a family of four, NYT News Service reported.
Government Shutdown
The extension of subsidies was at the center of a 43-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history; Republicans have said they won’t make any commitments while the government is shut down, while Democrats insist on continuing them. Now that the shutdown is over, Trump is under pressure to offer a plan to cover health care costs, especially as subsidies that millions of people had to pay for coverage expire, causing premiums to rise. The president and his administration have sought to promote a broader message of affordability as many Americans struggle with the cost of living.
Trump is considering whether to impose tougher restrictions on who can get subsidies, a White House official said. The White House did not elaborate on what those restrictions might be, but they could include setting eligibility limits for wealthier Americans and requiring all enrollees to pay minimum premiums.
In floating the idea of expanding subsidies, the Trump administration has the opportunity to gauge reaction from lawmakers, including conservative Republicans who have long targeted the Affordable Care Act for failing to adequately restrict health care costs.
Trump’s views on this issue have sparked significant backlash from both the right and left on Capitol Hill and underscore how difficult it will be to pass any health policy in a deeply divided Congress.
“A vote to expand Obamacare… Is this the Republican solution to health care?” Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian Kentucky Republican, asked this question on social media.
The Affordable Care Act, signed by former President Barack Obama in 2010 and creating the program commonly known as Obamacare, created subsidies, including tax breaks, to help uninsured people buy health insurance. Congress passed extra subsidies in 2021, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and extended them through 2022.
The issue highlights the difficulties Republicans have in finding alternatives to the Affordable Care Act. While running for the White House last year, Trump memorably said he had “a concept of a plan” to replace the program, but none of it came to fruition.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate health committee. recently put forward an alternative. It calls for the federal government to give the money it spends on tax credits under the health law directly to consumers, with consumers putting them into a health savings account and using them for out-of-pocket expenses or deductibles.
“This is empowering to the patient,” Cassidy said on CNN Sunday.
Trump recently posted a similar proposal on social media. “The ONLY HEALTH CARE I WOULD SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING HAPPENING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES THAT MAKE TRILLIONS AND CAUGHT AMERICA LONG ENOUGH,” he wrote in all caps on the Truth Social platform.
Obamacare
But Obamacare tax credits don’t go to insurance companies; They help consumers offset the costs of health premiums. Democrats and independent analysts say Cassidy’s plan will have little impact on costs.
With just five weeks until these extra subsidies expire, Trump and his fellow Republicans are feeling intense pressure to act. Insurance prices are already rising, and the president and his party can’t afford to be accused of causing costs to rise even higher for many as voters struggle to pay their bills.
“Yes, they could say Obamacare was created by Democrats, the timeline and the subsidies were all created by Democrats,” said Douglas Heye, a Republican strategist who worked on Capitol Hill when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. “But they are responsible, and if these bills skyrocket, voters will look to him to fix it.”
Some Republicans say just that. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who shocked Washington last week by announcing she would resign, broke with her party on health care during the shutdown in October. He later said that while he was “not a fan” of Obamacare, he supported extending the subsidies.
FAQ
- Who is the President of the USA?
It is US President Donald Trump. - What is Obamacare?
The Affordable Care Act, which created the program, is popularly known as Obamacare.
