Talks to revive enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that expired at the end of last year appeared to be fizzling out Tuesday, with Democrats expressing little optimism about a proposal from Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) that he described as the “best and final” offer his party would make.
Lawmakers had been negotiating over a proposal from Moreno that would have included a one-year extension of the enhanced premium tax subsidies. The Ohio senator had joined with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in December to introduce a proposed two-year extension.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that both Moreno and Collins were acknowledging that talks appear to have collapsed, with Moreno saying “it’s effectively over” and Collins saying it was “certainly difficult.”
A Democratic staffer told The Hill on Tuesday that Republicans simply didn’t want to extend the enhanced subsidies and Moreno’s proposal did not have the support of the party.
“It just seems clear, frankly, that most Republicans don’t want to expand the tax credits … that is just the boring reality,” the staffer said, noting it’s already February, one month since the subsidies officially expired. “I just don’t think there’s a path forward because of that.”
Democratic senators involved in negotiations indicated that they were at an impasse with Republicans over abortion-related language included in the proposal.
According to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Democrats on Tuesday had requested that Moreno remove Hyde Amendment language from the bill. The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision that prohibits federal funds from covering abortions. The senator from Virginia said Republicans did not consider losing the Hyde language a possibility.
“We had agreed Hyde status quo ante from the ACA, as it was passed in 2010. No change. The proposal that they put on the table has a new, significant Hyde provision … within the HSA, and we said you need to take that out. And my understanding is that they said that they can’t,” Kaine said.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) expressed little optimism regarding talks.
“A lot of those discussions have already been deprioritized by this administration and by leadership here on the Republican side,” Kim said when asked about whether negotiations are losing importance.
“I want to keep it going, and we’re going to continue to push, but that’s been something that we’ve already seen in motion,” he added.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Tuesday seemed ready to abandon Moreno’s proposal, telling The Hill, “I think the Moreno bill is a lemon and I’m not buying it.”
Reposted from The Hill
