Senate expected to vote on rival health care plans as ACA subsidies near expiration [View all]

Source: Scripps News

Posted 3:54 PM, Dec 09, 2025 and last updated 4:49 PM, Dec 09, 2025


Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expected to vote Thursday on competing health care proposals as Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies near expiration at year’s end. Without action from Congress, millions of Americans could face a roughly 26% spike in health care costs. Democrats are unified behind a plan to extend those subsidies for three years, while GOP lawmakers plan to bring a counter-proposal to the floor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that Senators will vote on a proposal from Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo, while blasting Democrats’ ACA-subsidy vote as “extending the status quo." "Democrats' great scheme to fix health care — Obamacare — has failed," Thune said on Monday. "... They proposed a clean, three-year extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Clean, Mr. President. No reforms, no revisions."

The GOP-led "Health Care Freedom for Patients Act" proposes sending money directly to patients rather than insurance companies and lowering insurance premiums and health care costs. It also seeks to expand Health Savings Account (HSA) eligibility, which is intended to help Americans cover out-of-pocket costs.

However, one part of the proposal that is likely to draw criticism from Democratic lawmaker, is that it calls for ending taxpayer-funded abortion or transgender services. The Republican plan also calls for reducing Medicaid funding to states that provide health insurance coverage to migrants who are in the country illegally and requires states to verify citizenship or immigration status before providing Medicaid coverage.

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/health-care/senate-expected-to-vote-on-rival-health-care-plans-as-aca-subsidies-near-expiration