by BVN
Enhanced premium tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will expire on Dec. 31 as Congress prepares to break for the holidays without voting on a health care package.
Though House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to call for a vote regarding extending ACA tax credits for three years as proposed by Democrats, four House Republicans signed a Democrat-led discharge petition to force a vote on the three-year extension plan.
“And as Leader Jeffries has said all along, this is the only real plan on the table to ensure that Americans’ premiums don’t skyrocket by the end of the year. We have the votes,” Rep. Pete Aguilar said during a press conference on Dec. 18. “We have the momentum. We have the American people on our side. Let’s not waste another second. Speaker Johnson, bring this bill to the floor right now.”
The discharge petition will force the three-year extension bill to the floor for a vote, overriding House Speaker Mike Johnson’s reluctance to do so. However, the vote will not happen until after the current subsidies expire on December 31. This is because Johnson decided instead to send House members home early for the holidays.
On Dec. 17, a Republican-supported health care package passed the House by 216-211, but does not extend the expiring ACA subsidies. The package will head to the Senate and is unexpected to pass.
As open enrollment for choosing health insurance plans continues, millions of Americans are seeing their premiums increase drastically. For months, Congress has been unable to come to a consensus on a health care package, an issue that contributed to the country’s longest government shutdown in October.
