Houses passes ACA subsidies; fate of bill murky in Senate

The House of Representatives advanced a three-year extension of Obamacare subsidies on Thursday, sending the bill to the Senate, where it faces an uphill climb.

All Democrats were joined by 17 Republicans in voting in favor of the legislation, which passed by a vote of 230 to 196.

Enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits were a major factor in last fall’s longest-ever government shutdown. The expiration of insurance at the end of 2025 has led to increased premiums for millions of Americans who buy health insurance through ACA marketplaces.

Senate in December rejected The Enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits have been similarly extended for three years, and lawmakers are predicting a similar fate if the proposal is reintroduced. Instead, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is negotiating a compromise agreement on ACA tax credits.

“What the House passes tomorrow will not pass in the United States Senate,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who is part of the Senate caucus, told reporters Wednesday. “It probably won’t be put down, because why waste our time in the gym on something we’ve already thought about?”

In banter on the Hill, Moreno said the House bill was useful in serving as a tool for the Senate working group to make changes. Members of that group, including Moreno and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have said they are nearing a deal that would extend the tax credits for two years, but some key sticking points remain.

These include the Hyde Amendment, a decades-old policy banning the use of federal funds for most abortions that many Republicans want to strengthen. President Donald Trump told Republicans earlier this week to be “flexible” on Hyde, prompting some backlash from GOP ranks.

“We do not provide federal funding for abortion,” Moreno said. “This is a long-standing tradition, no one is trying to change it.”

CNN reported Thursday that some GOP Senators were privately open to leaving the Hyde Amendment as is.

Thursday’s vote in the House came after four moderate Republicans broke ranks and signed a Democrat-led deal late last year. eviction petition To force a vote on ACA subsidies.

A discharge petition is a procedural tool that allows House members to bypass leadership and force a vote in the chamber if a majority of MPs sign on.

The petition to expunge, filed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY), cleared a procedural hurdle Wednesday when nine Republicans joined all Democrats in voting in favor of the measure despite opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La). Eleven Republicans voted with Democrats in the second procedural vote earlier Thursday.

“What we’re doing here today will not be the end of the effort needed, but we can start the effort needed and expand the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” Jeffries said on the House floor before the final vote. he said.