Overview
- Around 22 million marketplace enrollees face steep premium increases starting Jan. 1 as enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expire.
- The House passed a GOP health package 216–211 that expands association health plans, funds cost-sharing reductions, and adds PBM transparency but omits extending the enhanced subsidies.
- Four moderate Republicans joined Democrats on a discharge petition that reached 218 signatures, guaranteeing a House vote on a three-year extension when members return.
- Speaker Mike Johnson declined to hold a last-minute vote before recess and said the measure will come up the first week of January, while the Senate has already rejected a clean three-year extension and is not expected to act before the lapse.
- Nonpartisan analyses and provider groups warn the subsidy cliff will increase uninsured rates and strain hospitals, though some lawmakers are exploring a bipartisan compromise in the new year.