Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday would not commit to a vote on a GOP health care proposal this week with key Affordable Care Act subsidies soon to expire.
Democrats are set to get a Senate vote later this week on their proposal to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies for three years without any changes. The plan – lacking enough Republican support to pass – is expected to fail but Republicans agreed to hold the vote after Democrats made it a demand to reopen the government during the record-breaking shutdown.
Republicans have long been divided over how to replace the Affordable Care Act and are weighing multiple proposals as the clock ticks down on the expiring tax credits. While some are open to letting them sunset, others are concerned that higher prices could hurt Republicans in the midterms, and GOP leadership wants to present a united front on the issue.
As Republicans have struggled to coalesce around an alternative bill, they argue they have a lot of ideas to make changes to health care and are willing to talk with Democrats about them once Democrats cast what the GOP sees as a messaging, designed-to-fail vote, and say they won’t be driven by their timetable.
“We’re going to have a conversation tomorrow with our members and kind of decide the path forward. We could – we have some good options. But this, to me, is on the Democrats’ part, is a messaging exercise, political messaging exercise. I don’t think they’re serious about wanting to do a deal yet,” Thune said, though he acknowledged that Republicans “have people in different camps” on how to deal with the expiring tax credits.
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville warned that his party could face political backlash if they don’t put forward a health care plan soon, urging them to coalesce behind something that can earn enough bipartisan support to become law.
Asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if he’s worried Republicans will be on the wrong side of public opinion on health care, Tuberville responded, “It very well could be, if we don’t come up with something that lets the American people know that we’re trying to fix this, and we are.”
The Alabama Republican defended Thune not yet committing to holding a vote on a GOP health care plan later this week.
“You just don’t throw it out there. You gotta have the votes, at least from us. But there will be something,” he said, adding that GOP lawmakers have been working “night and day” to draft an acceptable plan.
According to a senior GOP aide, Republicans are unlikely to have a vote on any alternative to the Democrat plan this week. The vote on the Democratic bill is likely to take place Thursday, but has not yet been officially scheduled.
Thune later added, “[Sens.] Crapo and Cassidy put a proposal out there, but I think the idea – which doesn’t include any extension of the subsidies — but I do think that if the Democrats were serious and really wanted to work in a constructive way with Republicans, there’s perhaps a path forward there, but that’s not this.”
He noted that he believes that there are Democrats who are ready to negotiate with Republicans, but said, “I think they are being probably marginalized a bit by their leadership, and in order to get this, I think, political messaging vote done first, and then we’ll see what happens.”
On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio unveiled a bill to that would extend subsidies for two years while making changes to the program Republicans have been demanding related to income caps and mandated premiums. While the Senate GOP strategy over the expiring tax credits remains in flux, that bill is also not expected to get a vote this week.
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said he hopes Republicans will have some “clarity” on what health care plan they will pursue in the coming days but expressed skepticism a solution to the expiring Obamacare subsidies will be reached by week’s end.
“There’s going to be clarity come through this week. But, unfortunately, since the Democrats kept everything shut down for so long, I don’t think we’re going to get a definitive answer this week,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional details.