Senate ACA funding talks fizzle as higher premiums for millions take effect for 2026
(NBC News) WASHINGTON — Senate negotiations aimed at striking a bipartisan deal to revive expired funds under the Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare — have fizzled, according to senators involved and sources with knowledge of the discussions.
The odds of a deal have been slim for months. Now, on the day that ACA open enrollment ends, even the optimists have grown pessimistic as the working group falls behind its self-imposed timeline. The Senate left town Thursday for a one-week recess.
Democrats are unified behind a three-year ACA funding extension, which passed the House recently with 230 votes, including 17 Republicans. President Donald Trump has threatened to veto that bill, instead releasing a health care blueprint that trashes the ACA funds as a “flagrant scam” and conveys his opposition to reviving the expired tax credits.
Most Republicans want the funds to stay expired, and have made clear for months that they don’t want to resurrect them. A small group of GOP senators has engaged in talks with moderate Democrats about a compromise, but conservative demands to tie any deal to abortion restrictions have become “intractable,” said one source plugged in to the talks.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/senate-aca-funding-talks-fizzle-233652452.html