The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in mid-December on whether to extend the tax credits for an estimated 22 million enrollees in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Congress granted the government subsidies to help pay for health insurance premiums as part of a COVID-19 relief package, then extended them as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. They’re set to expire at the end of this year.
The upcoming vote was part of the deal earlier this month to end the longest government shutdown in American history. It’s unclear whether the measure will pass. Some lawmakers have a different plan.
Obamacare premiums are expected to increase in 2026. Without additional subsidies, they’ll likely skyrocket.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is urging members to approve the extension. “If we don’t extend the tax credits, the average American will pay from five hundred to one thousand dollars more every month in their health care insurance. So many people will have to drop health care insurance, and they’ll say, ‘What am I going to do?'”
President Trump opposes extending the existing system of directly paying the insurance companies, saying he’d rather see the government give the money straight to the patient.
“Instead of giving it to insurance companies, big, fat, bloated insurance companies. We’re giving the money directly to the people to buy their own health care,” he said.
When asked by a reporter whether recipients will use the money to buy health insurance, the president said, “Some may. I mean, they’ll be negotiating prices. It’s really free enterprise. You can do it through an insurance company. You can also buy it direct. You know, they have savings accounts.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said he supports Trump’s plan. “We’re not going to repeal Obamacare, we’re going to fix Obamacare,” he told Fox News. “Everybody ought to be able to buy plans, and pre-existing conditions ought to be covered. I’m not suggesting we change the structure, because I think we can drive down the cost by giving people options.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is also a medical doctor, said he too supports the president’s plan, adding Obamacare enrollees would be able to use the government subsidies that are directly deposited into their special account, not only to pay for insurance premiums, but deductibles, as well.
“The president is proposing that we take the $26 billion that would be going to insurance companies if we just did a straight-out extension – and by the way, 20% of that 26-billion, 20% will go to profit and administrative overhead – give it directly to the American people in an account, in which 100% of the money is used for them to purchase health care on their own terms,” he told CBS News.
So far, Democrats are resisting Trump’s plan. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) warned that if patients were allowed to use the money to make their own decisions, many would sign-up for health care plans that don’t provide adequate coverage.
Obamacare enrollees aren’t the only ones seeing their health insurance increase. The roughly 165 million Americans who get health coverage through work are expected to see about a 7.5% hike in 2026.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports private insurance spending has increased 80% since 2008, with hospitals, clinics, and doctors receiving the bulk. Nearly half of adults say it’s difficult to afford health care costs, and one in three report putting off health care because of the cost.
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