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A bipartisan group of senators hopes to soon strike a deal to revive the expired Affordable Care Act subsidies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The contours include a two-year extension with income caps; ending zero-dollar premiums; and extending the open enrollment period from Jan. 15 to March 1. Senators also believe they are close to finding a path to finessing Hyde Amendment abortion restrictions.
The House will take its first vote on the three-year extension of the expired subsidies on Wednesday, but Senate Republicans already rejected that. That puts more pressure on the upper chamber to strike a compromise.
A strong House vote will give “us some momentum in the Senate, and we should have a draft ready soon,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. She called President Donald Trump’s recent remark about the need to be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment “helpful.”
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Despite Trump’s comments, the debate over Hyde — which bars federal funding for most abortions — is the biggest challenge to a deal. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Semafor that most Republicans will insist on keeping Hyde protections. “This is a matter of principle for many of us, and the Hyde Amendment is not something new,” he said.
“I’m unapologetically for Hyde,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “We certainly want to do everything we can to satisfy the pro-life community. And to satisfy my heart as well.”
Trump wants Republicans to recapture the issue of health care, although he remains supportive of transitioning the subsidies to health savings accounts — something Democrats don’t support. At the moment, though, the best path to an actual compromise appears to run through the negotiating group that includes Shaheen and Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Susan Collins, R-Maine. And even if they strike an agreement, it’s an uphill battle getting to Trump’s desk.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has publicly voiced openness to a deal, though he says it will require a “big vote on the Republican side” to pass the Senate. More than likely, that means getting roughly 35 senators in each party to back it and convincing Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to compromise.
The expired subsidies, if left unresolved, could be one of Democrats’ top political issues next year. And many Republicans hate the idea of doing anything to prop up Obamacare. That reality has left some people familiar with the talks skeptical of whether either leader really wants a deal.