Overview
- Enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits expired Jan. 1, driving sharp increases for marketplace enrollees, with KFF analyses pointing to average premium hikes of roughly 100% to 114% for millions.
- The House voted 221-205 to discharge the Democratic bill, with nine Republicans backing the procedural move and setting up a floor vote to reinstate the enhanced credits for three years.
- Senators in a bipartisan working group are drafting a shorter two-year plan that would add limits such as income caps up to 700% of the federal poverty level and minimum monthly premiums that would end $0 plans, alongside proposals tied to Health Savings Accounts.
- Key flashpoints in the Senate talks include the minimum premium proposal, income eligibility, and abortion-related Hyde language, with negotiators saying a draft could be ready early next week and any deal requiring 60 votes.
- The Congressional Budget Office estimates that letting the expanded aid lapse would leave about 100,000 more people uninsured each year and cut federal spending by $36 billion over a decade, while the House plan would cover 3.8 million more people and cost about $350 billion; open enrollment in most states closes Jan. 15.