With the expiration of the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, millions of Americans are entering the new year with far more expensive health insurance premiums.
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Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey said he believes this issue has fractured the Republican coalition in Congress.
“The health care fight that came out of the government shutdown has been a real sign,” said Ivey, a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 4th District. “I think there’s a lot of cracks, not only in the Trump administration, but the Republican caucuses in the Senate and the House”
In December, four Republicans broke from House Speaker Mike Johnson and signed a petition, led by Democrats, that would force a House vote on extending an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy for three years that lowers health insurance.
It came in the aftermath of House Republican leaders rushing to pass a health care bill that didn’t address the rising monthly premiums.
“I think that Republicans have dug a very deep hole for themselves with the way they’ve mishandled Americans health care, especially with respect to their refusal to extend the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act so that people can afford to continue to have insurance,” Ivey said.
Ivey expects that Democrats will force Republicans to address the elimination of the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies in the next 30 days.
“I think we’re going to force them to do something to address the elimination of the Obamacare tax credits so that people don’t see their premiums double and triple,” Ivey said.
Ivey is also predicting Democrats will retake the House in 2026 and possibly the Senate.
“Because he can’t be counted on to do it himself, the only way to keep him in check is to have counterweights to him and Republicans in Congress are not willing to do it,” he said. “It’s got to be Democrats that do it.”
WTOP’s Tadiwos Abedje contributed to this report.
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