Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, believes his proposal to extend expired Affordable Care Act subsidies is still alive, because he says Democrats haven’t ruled it out.
“Not the Democrats I’m talking to. I think [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer has ruled it out,” Moreno told Semafor. “The people I’m talking to want to actually solve it.”
His proposal would extend the enhanced subsidies for a year with income caps, impose new $5 minimum payments on plans, and ratchet down the subsidies over the next two years with an option to convert them to health savings accounts.
Ever the salesman, Moreno has a chart demonstrating how the deal would play out over three years.
Democrats aren’t sold yet. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said discussions went well but “we’re trying to see if we can align the [bill] text to what we discussed.”