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Lawmakers will not be able strike a bipartisan health care deal in time for a Senate vote next month, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., said Tuesday.
Senate GOP leaders promised Democrats a vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire in December as part of a deal last week to reopen the government. Key Republicans have since floated pursuing broader changes instead, like flexible savings accounts for ACA enrollees.
Asked at Semafor’s The Future of Health Forum whether Democrats could support any of those bigger changes, Balint said: “They have never put forward a viable plan. Anything that we could tick the tires on. And to think that we are going to come together on a plan before the end of December is madness — and we all know it.”
Balint did not rule out a partial government shutdown when some funding lapses again in January: “I certainly don’t want another shutdown … but I also know that my constituents understand that this is existential for them.”
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President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday that he didn’t want Congress to “waste” time on any policies, like the health insurance subsidies, that aren’t “sending the money directly back to the people.”
“Show us the plan. Have a conversation. Have leadership actually sit down. Have the four corners sit down. That’s not happening,” Balint said. “This administration is a black box. They are not communicating with us, members of Congress, who are the ones that create policy. So until that starts to happen — no, we need to extend these ACA subsidies.”
Democrats are already planning to hit Republicans hard over rising health care costs on the campaign trail, Balint said.
“It’s going to be a constant contrast being drawn,” Balint said. “I don’t think anyone would say that the Affordable Care Act is perfect. … [But] are Americans prepared to have that go away? Absolutely not. So if we can’t get some kind of agreement, then Republicans will feel the wrath of their voters, because they can’t make it work.”
“It’s not separate from the affordability crisis that we’re having right now, it’s at the center,” Balint added.