House Dems demand Johnson hold ACA vote

With the government reopened and the end of ObamaCare open enrollment fast approaching, House Democrats are calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a vote on extending the law’s enhanced premium tax credits.

In a letter shared first with The Hill, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) led a group of 58 Democrats asking Johnson to quickly a hold a vote on ACA tax credits, one of the key conditions that moderate Senate Democrats made in agreeing with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reopen the government.

Thune promised a vote in the second week of December but did not make any guarantees about it passing. 

Johnson did not make any such promise and has given no indication he is willing to follow Thune.

“Families across this country — on both sides of the political spectrum — are counting on us to do something to mitigate rising health care costs. Inaction here will decimate millions of Americans’ budgets and force impossible decisions between receiving necessary care and other basic needs,” the Democrats wrote.

Without action, ObamaCare’s enhanced tax credits that help people afford their premiums will expire at the end of the year, exposing millions of Americans to the full cost of their insurance plans. 

Republicans spent weeks during the government shutdown refusing to negotiate with Democrats on health care and now are scrambling to coalesce around ideas to replace the subsidies, despite the political danger of letting them expire.   

The ideas are vague, and many health experts warn some of the proposals being floated could create a “death spiral” in the marketplace. In the meantime, Democrats say there isn’t time for any serious health reform discussions. A simple, “clean” extension of the subsidies is the best path forward, they argue.

“For the past 50-plus days, you had kept the House of Representatives out of session while millions of Americans worry over how they’ll be able to pay their health care bills in 2026. Up to 24 million ACA enrollees are facing gross premium increases averaging 26 percent and actual monthly cost increases around 114 percent; some constituents have shared with us anticipated premium increases as high as 3,000 percent,” the Democrats wrote.