House Democrats’ bill to extend enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies for three years will get a vote after four swing-district Republicans joined them on a discharge petition to force action.
The Republicans — Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie and New York Rep. Mike Lawler — were angry that their leadership would not give them a vote on one of the bipartisan bills to temporarily extend the expiring subsidies with changes to protect against waste and fraud.
They have opposed the Democrats’ bill but felt it was the only option left to force a vote on the issue.
“Despite our months-long call for action, leadership on both sides of the aisle failed to work together to advance any bipartisan compromise, leaving this as the only way to protect the 28,000 people in my district from higher costs,” Mr. Bresnahan said on social media.
The Republicans acknowledged that the Democratic bill likely won’t become law, as the Senate already rejected a companion version of it last week. But they believe having a House vote will help build bipartisan momentum to get something done.
Weeks ago, all 214 House Democrats had signed onto a discharge petition to force a vote on a clean three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies.
The four Republicans who signed it Wednesday brought the total signatories to 218, the threshold for a majority of the House that is needed to force a vote.
But the timing, coming two days before the House is set to adjourn for the year, means the vote will not occur until January unless GOP leaders allow it to happen sooner.
Democrats’ COVID-era expansion of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies made them more generous and extended them to people of all income levels. Democrats set those enhancements to expire Dec. 31.
Extending the enhanced subsidies for three years would cost taxpayers $83 billion.
If they lapse, the 22 million people who are on subsidized Obamacare plans will have to pay more of the cost of their health insurance, doubling, on average, their spending on premiums for 2026. Many are expected to go without the more costly health insurance, which will affect the risk pool and could cause insurers to further raise rates for everyone.
The swing-district Republicans tried to get a vote on extending the subsidies as an amendment to a health care package the House is set to vote on Wednesday evening, but the House Rules Committee on Tuesday rejected their proposals.
“The overwhelming majority of American people … want these credits extended, but with guardrails, with income caps targeting the lower- to middle-income earners, doing what we can to clean up fraud,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said as he asked the committee for an amendment vote.
GOP leaders have argued that their bill would help lower health care premiums and costs for all Americans, not just the 7% on Obamacare.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said the percentage of people impacted is “irrelevant.”
“To those 7%, this is everything to them,” he said. “This is about our friends and neighbors. Take politics, take all that stuff out of the equation. These are people that we know back home that need our help.”
Mr. Fitzpatrick launched a discharge petition last week on his bill for a two-year extension of the subsidies, with an income cap at 700% of the federal poverty level, fraud guardrails and an option for consumers to receive half of their subsidy in a tax-exempt Health Savings Account.
A dozen Republicans and a dozen Democrats signed it. However, it was not going to get 218 signatures as Democratic leaders did not support it.
Another bipartisan discharge petition led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Democrat, for a one-year extension with similar changes and a mechanism for future action had more Democratic support but still not enough to succeed.
Mr. Lawler, who had unsuccessfully pushed for Democrats to sign onto one or both of the bipartisan petitions, said his decision Wednesday to sign the petition for the clean three-year extension is “not an endorsement of the bill written.”
“I continue to believe any extension should be targeted, fiscally responsible, and include income eligibility limits and safeguards against fraud, similar to the bipartisan discussions underway in the Senate,” he said. “But when leadership blocks action entirely, Congress has a responsibility to act.”
Senators are negotiating a potential compromise measure after votes last week on dueling partisan bills both fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
If the House passes the clean three-year extension of the subsidies, the senators could amend it with their compromise plan, if one comes together.
But with Congress set to adjourn for the holidays this week, it ensures the benefits will lapse in the interim and a resolution would not occur until January at the earliest.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.